Breath
by Reigns'Sweetheart
Summary: Five years from now, it'll be nothing but a memory. Don't let it destroy you. When you heal, you will understand why.
1. Chapter 1

**_DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT U.K, or any of the Superstars on either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only._**

Sitting at a table in a private corner of a bar, I ask for a beer and a few minutes later, that's when I see _her_ walk in with a man that isn't the most popular client of mine. Tim Haggin. He's a former NASCAR driver, who has won several championships over his career. Though he was always praised for how good he was, his career then became overshadowed from headlines about how he treats women and other activities that he seemed to get a bad rep for outside of NASCAR. My company does background checks on people that work for us and clients that we work with and he's been turned down. On one incident, he beat a woman so badly, she had a concussion, a broken jaw and a broken orbital bone. My question is, what on earth is a woman as beautiful as the one who walked in with him, doing with him?

She looks like she could be no more than about 5 foot 6, with curves for days that make men look as she walked by. Long dark and curly hair, with blue eyes that complimented her tan skin. Full, pink lips. Dressed in a black dress that reached a few inches above her knees and sleeveless, though it clung to her curves, and I couldn't help but want to take a look at them, up close. Black heels that helped show her toned legs, and a clutch in her hands. Now, I would usually have a woman like that in my bed like I always do, but I've grown tired of it. It didn't excite me anymore and yet, something about her woke something up inside of me. The need to posses her. To own her. She started looking around and when our eyes met, something happened. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it was something and that something gave me the feeling that she could be dangerous. Her eyes stay on me until the man motions her to grab a seat on the far end of the bar where the man still doesn't seem to notice me, in a black suit with a white button up shirt underneath.

Someone discreetly walks up to the man and quietly tells him something, causing Haggin to go with him, leaving the woman by herself. I can't seem to take my eyes off of her as she keeps her spine board straight as she signals for the bartender. The guy tends to her and smiles before pouring her a drink. I get this overwhelming urge to get a closer look at her and I act on it. Casually making my way to her, I see her back stiff up when I get close enough to touch her, as if she could sense me. When she turns around, I see the most beautiful pair of blue eyes that I have ever seen in my life. Those soulful blue eyes that look like it could just look deep into your soul and give truth to your eyes being the windows to them. There is an unspoken pull between us that neither one of us is willing to admit at the moment with words. Full lips that make me just want to bite and kiss them over and over again, until I have them red and swollen.

"Mr. Reigns, what a surprise seeing you here." Says Tim Haggin as he makes his return and takes my thoughts away from thinking about what I wanted to do to her. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"There's a party going on tonight and I was wondering if you the two of you would like to attend?" I ask. "It'll be on 44th street, at The Grand Hotel. The McMahons will be there."

"Absolutely." He automatically answers without so much as blinking an eye or talking to the woman about it.

I simply look over at the man before turning my attention back to his female friend. "Perhaps, you'll attend as well, Ms...?"

"Giselle Pena." She answers with the sweetest voice I've ever heard, laced with confidence.

"Then I'll make sure I leave your name at the door." I say before taking one more look at the woman, and see her eyes sparkle before leaving. I can already tell that I'm not going to be able to walk away from her.

 ** _GISELLE_**

Tim is driving his brand new Lincoln Continental and talking a mile a minute, showing the excitement he has about going to this grand party that we were now headed to. I had no intentions of doing anything with anyone after dinner. But that man that I saw. The way our eyes met and what I felt, was indescribable. It was as if we were speaking, without really speaking. The man was tall. Maybe 6 foot 3, 6 foot 4 range and easily outweighs Tim by over 100 pounds it seems with a body that looks like he spends a great amount of time in the gym. Black hair that was pulled back into a neat bun, and a beard that looked like he was growing out. But I liked the look on him. It made him look rough, but devastatingly handsome and sexy at the same time. Then add in the sound of his voice and everything about him, physically, can have the ability to make you want to just keep making him talk or something to keep him around. That's someone you don't get tired of seeing or hearing.

"Do you realize who this guy is?" Tim asks, bringing me back to the present. "He's Roman Reigns. One of the most successful CEO's here in New York City, and a self-made billionaire. He's one of the best in the shipping company and owns several ships. You sure are my lucky charm. Who would have thought that he, of all people, would pay attention to me and invite me to anything."

I look out the window and watch the cars that are on the road. Even at 8 o'clock at night, the city was still buzzing and going strong with bright lights, people, noise as if the cold air didn't bother them at all. Just everything that I grew to love about this city. Being born and raised here, you get the natural ability to put up with everything that comes with living here. It's all normal to you because it's what you know. As for why I'm here in this car, in the first place, that's something completely different. Sometimes growing up here in New York won't always prepare you for why I'm with this creep of a man and I was still paying for my mistake of choosing him to help me out. That's a story for another day, though.

"Giselle, pay attention." Tim scolded. "You need to be on your best behavior tonight while we're there and we need to be on the same page."

"Me? You're the asshole that has the bad reputation!" I exclaim. "I'm not the one trying to impress these people, anyways. They don't even know me."

"But you're still going to be by my side." He snapped. "They're not going to pay attention to me even in the slightest with you misbehaving."

I glared at him and if looks could kill, he would have been dead a long time ago. "Funny because the last time I checked, I'm not your girlfriend, nor your daughter. Stop telling me what to do and how to behave. Compared to you, I'm an angel with all of the shit you've done."

He laughs quietly before finding a parking. Quickly getting out, I waited for him and gasped when he grabs my arm and pulls me to him, not caring at the moment about how others are staring while passing by as he tightens his grip, causing me pain.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, little girl." Tim quietly says, and I can smell the liquor on his breath. "But you'll do as I say, for as long as I please. Misbehavior won't be tolerated."

"Karma will come for you and when it does, may the heavens be in your favor." I tell him.

"You and your stupid belief in Ancient Gods and the whole Ancient Greece and Rome crap." He mumbles before letting me go.

I softly rub my arm through my jacket as if it'll help, though I know it won't hide the bruises that will soon appear. As we enter the hotel that holds the ballroom, Tim lets the doorman know our names, though the man looks at us strangely until he mentions Mr. Reigns. We're let in and I'm in awe of the detail that went into the place as we make our way to the coat closet. The beige walls with gold outlines. The paintings on the ceilings and the artwork that was put up on just about every wall it seemed, looked to be worth at least thousands of dollars each. Carpets and furniture that you would find in the most expensive homes and people who were dressed to the nines with the intent to impress and because that's just how they rolled. That's part of how they lived their life.

Looking around, I couldn't see Mr. Reigns around and I couldn't help but wonder why a part of me felt disappointed. When the man and I looked at each other earlier in the bar, something happened. Something passed between us and I'm not sure what to call it or make of it. I don't even know what to call the feeling I had when we locked eyes. Before I knew it, Tim went his own way, trying to get the attention of a woman that walked past him in a form fitting red dress. Which of course, left me alone in a place filled with people that I don't know. And I was completely out of place here. The way people looked at me clearly told me that they knew I didn't belong. They knew that I'm not one of them and their eyes asked me why I was here, as if they can smell that I'm not rich like any of them. Truth is, I don't belong in places like this with these type of people. I never did. I came from nothing and because I don't have billions to my name, I'm nothing to these people. Just beneath them like everybody else who aren't a part of the rich and elite.

"Giselle!" I hear Tim exclaim. "Stay by my side, will you?"

"You left me to go after someone." I said to him and he immediately grabbed my arm, squeezing it harder than he did before, pulling me with him.

When we got to a private area, he yanked my arm and pulled me close to him. At 6 feet tall with short brown hair, and brown eyes, he had an accent that what I assumed was from Massachusetts and had one a grey suit with a white shirt underneath that has the top two buttons loose. I could smell a hint of the aftershave that he had used before meeting up with me earlier in the night, showing the dimple in his chin and the smoothness of his cheek. His eyes were cold and heartless, just like the rest of him, and it was just another reminder of the mistake that I had made. A mistake that I wish I never made.

"Let go of me." I whimper when I start to lose feeling in my arm, but he just squeezes tighter to keep me from leaving. I tried pushing him away, but to no avail, because he would just tighten his grip, making it feel like I was loosing blood supply to it. "Tim, stop it. Please, just let me go. I didn't do anything."

"Listen here, you stupid little girl." He growls. "Stop being a bitch, will you? You've done nothing but talk back to me for the last month and give me hell, and I'm getting really tired of it. You've had no problem showing me that you have a mouth on you and you don't have a problem talking back. But you need to behave when you're with me, do you understand? I'm not one of your little low life friends who put up with it. You're doing a great job at showing how much you don't belong here."

"You think I give a shit about belonging here with these people?!" I exclaim quietly, not wanting to make a scene, but at the same time not caring if I draw the attention of the people that were around. "I don't owe you anything anymore, remember? Fuck you, Tim Haggin. You want to be disrespectful and think you will continue getting away with it, fuck you for being so damn stupid!"

"How dare you!" He yells at me, raising his hand to hit me when someone grabs his arm, stopping him from doing so.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A deep voice boomed throughout the hallway, causing some to gasp as a few people came over to me.

Security quickly got to him and held him back. The man behind the voice was none other than Vince McMahon who was a business man, an executive and CEO of his own company. The man's net worth is over a billion dollars and doesn't seem like he'll let go of his position any time soon. Though I don't really know much about him, I've definitely heard of him on several occasions as well as his family and by the looks of it, his son and son-in-law were there with him.

"Mr. McMahon, sir." Time started saying. "It's nothing serious, we were just talking, weren't we?"

"I'm done making excuses for you." I say, feeling the anger rolling off of him in waves as he stared at me with such hatred for not defending or justifying his behavior. I became numb as a woman helped me to the bathroom and though I heard someone say something about the police, I paid no attention to it as I made my way to the bathroom. It had over a dozen stalls and a long mirror where the sinks were. The lady who had bought me to the bathroom, took me to the sink and looked me over, stopping at my arm, assessing the bruising that had appeared. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the lighting in here and flinched when she touched my arm.

"It's okay, sweetheart, I just want to check it out." Her touch was gentle and I slightly relaxed as I payed attention to her and my surroundings. The woman was older than me, maybe in her fifties, though she looked good for her age. Short blonde hair with blue eyes and glasses and she wore a simple blue dress that bought out her eyes. There was a cushioned chair in a corner with a small table next to it.

"Mom, are you okay in here?" Asks a woman, who was a bit more tan in complexion from me, though she had brown hair and brown eyes. I saw some similar features, though they didn't look exactly alike.

"I'm alright, dear. Just trying to help her." The older woman replies. "This is my daughter, Vanessa. My name is Patricia."

"I'm sorry about what happened out there." Vanessa tells me. "We saw the whole thing, and you didn't deserve that. Nobody does."

I just nodded and blinked a few times, hoping that my tears would stay at bay. I grabbed my arm again, as it felt like it was still throbbing with pain.

"What's your name?" Patricia softly asks, after drying up my lip.

"Giselle." I whisper.

"That's a beautiful name." She replies with a smile.

I couldn't help the few tears that finally came out, no matter how quickly I tried to was them away. When I finally got myself together, we left the bathroom and right outside, was none other than Roman Reigns. He was standing against the wall across the bathroom, with his hands in his pant pockets and he stared. Right at me. Making his way towards us, Patricia and Vanessa met him halfway and hugged them both.

"How are you feeling?" He softly asks when he approaches me. I could see his eyes go from my feet, all the way up to my face, lingering on every part of me. I see his eyes spark and his nostrils slightly flare when he notices my arm and the bruise that's formed and it sparked something inside of me that I wasn't expecting. I simply nod before he continues, seeing as that's all I could manage to do under his intense stare. "Do you need anything?"

"I just want to go home." I softly say. "I'm sorry for ruining the party for anyone tonight."

"You didn't ruin anything." He says, his voice curt. "What he did was on him. We won't force you to stay if that's not what you want. But if you won't stay, I'll have my driver take you home."

I immediately looked up at him and saw that he was being serious. "Thank you, but you don't have to do that. I can get myself home from here."

"I invited you here, so it's the least I can do." Says Mr. Reigns. "I'll let him know."

A few minutes later, the large man returns with my jacket and escorts me outiside to a man that was smaller than him. He wore black and had a similar complexion to him but had short hair, along with a smooth shaven face. He was standing in front of a black SUV and opened up the back door.

"Good evening, Ms. Pena." He says with a smile on his face. He seemed like a sweetheart, and his accent sounded like one from the islands. "My name is Mr. Kalani, and I'll be taking you home."

"Just give him your address and he'll get you there." Reigns simply says, not giving me any further details.

Mr. Reigns goes to the man and says something to him, and I watch as Mr. Kelani nods and agrees to whatever the man is telling him. Mr. Kelani opens the door for me and allows me to get in. Mr. Reigns holds the door open for a moment and bends down to speak to me.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier." He says to me. "My intentions, when I invited the two of you earlier, wasn't for that to happen to you. He'll get taken care of, don't worry."

"What'll happen to him?" I ask.

The corner of his lips slightly turn up. "You don't have to worry about that, I'll make sure it gets taken care of. But we'll see each other again, you and I. Good night, Giselle."

All I could do, was just stare at the man who seemed to come out of nowhere tonight as he smiled and closed the door. A man I've never met before and sure, I've heard about him. Tim is right, the man is a self-made billionaire and he's become as successful as he is for a reason. Why would he want to see me again, though? I'm not anybody important for someone of his status and wealth to want anything to do with me. I give Mr. Kelani my address and my mind goes back to Roman Reigns. Though I've heard about him, I don't really know anything about him and I wanted to stay out of trouble, especially after tonight. But a part of me really did want to see him again and as much as I wanted to deny it, I don't know how long I could go with doing so. I felt something with him that I haven't felt in a long time and I wanted to feel it again.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and put this story on their favorites and alerts list!**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT U.K, or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**_

 ** _Roman_**

Parking the car at an available spot in front of the apartment building in the Bronx, I turn off my car and just sit there looking around. I've never been up here, but I felt the need inside of me to come up here. The neighborhood was quiet. There were several apartment buildings in the area and private houses. A school that I assumed was an elementary school and a deli in the corner. There was a parking lot that seemed to belong to two buildings and right next to it was a small park, that was empty, probably due to the cold. Getting out of the car, I locked it and walked to the entrance of one of the buildings that the parking lot belonged to. Someone was coming out as I was getting to the door and so I sped up to get inside, seeing as I didn't have a key to get in. The lobby looked a lot nicer than the red brick that made up the 14 floor building. There was a desk for a security guard a few feet away from the door and mailboxes to another side with a door leading to the stairs nearby. Around the corner were two elevators and what looked like a laundry room further in. Pressing the button for the elevators, I get in when one finally reaches the lobby and press for the third floor. When I get off, I look at the wall in front of it that shows what apartments are on which side and go to the one I'm looking for. Knocking, I hear a dog bark a few times and then the lock. On the other side, I see those blue eyes and dark hair that I remember seeing a couple of nights ago that accompanied killer curves and those full, kissable lips.

"Mr. Reigns, what are you doing here?" Asks Giselle, surprised. "How did you know I live here? Did your driver give you my address?"

"Can I come in? Maybe we can talk better?" I ask in response and I see the hesitation in her eyes.

"Are you good with dogs?" She asks, not opening the door any further.

I chuckle lightly and nod. "Yes I am. And you can call me Roman."

She gives me a curious look and opens the door, showing the navy blue tank top she was wearing, along with grey sweats. Her long hair was up in a bun, showing more of her face and hide eyes. I could see the swell of her breasts when I looked at her tank top and a bit of skin between her shirt and pants. When she notices, her cheeks grow pink and she quickly closes the door behind me.

Right next to the door, there's a closet where she offered to hang up my coat. A few feet ahead is a small kitchen, with what looked like new appliances and the aroma of food. To the left, is a small table big enough for about four people and a living room with a sectional and a table in between it and the flat screen television. The door to the balcony had a long curtain, giving her privacy from the outside. The floor was tile and there was a large pillow nearby that was used for pets. A couple of more barks and I turned around to see a large German Shepard standing a few feet away from me, on all four legs. He had brown and black fur, with honey colored eyes.

"Jackson, stay." Giselle calmly says, though in a stern voice.

The dog barks two more times, but doesn't move until she walks over to him and scratches his head. He sits at her feet while she offers me something to drink and follows her to the living room where she sits down and watches closely as the dog comes up to me and sniffs around at my hand before letting me pet him. He lays down at her feet, and looks content being with her.

"How long have you had him?" I ask.

"Since he was four months old." She replies. "He's almost two now, so I've had him for a while. But back to my questions. How did you know where I live and did your driver give you my address? And why are you here?"

I look at her and smile at the bit of curiosity that I see in her. "Maybe I asked him for your address when he came back. Maybe I followed you that night, when he took you home and maybe I've driven by a couple of times since, thinking that I might see you."

"Why?" She whispers.

"To see for myself that you were okay." I reply. "I don't know why, but I just really wanted to make sure that you were."

Giselle showed a half smile as she looked down. "I appreciate it, you making sure I was okay. Creepy since you came here unannounced and without me knowing that you know I live here, but I guess?"

I laughed softly as she gets up and makes her way to the kitchen. Jackson stays behind and sits up, before looking over at me. He yawns and turns his attention elsewhere as the aroma of food fills my nose again.

"Hey buddy. What's she cooking, do you know?" I ask, putting my hand out.

Jackson leans up and sniffs my hand again before letting me touch him. Suddenly that feeling again of wanting to own her, came over me again. I thought it had gone away, but actually coming up to her apartment and seeing her again, made it come back up. The bruise on her arm is still there, but it seemed to be fading. I wanted to rip Tim's head off for putting his hands anywhere on her and with the purpose of harming her. Giselle comes back and takes her seat again with Jackson happily staying by her side.

"What are you making? It smells good." I say.

"Thanks. It's macaroni and stewed chicken and potatoes." She replies. "Do you live up this way?"

I shake my head. "No, I live in Manhattan. But about the other night, what were you doing with Tim? I'm sure you get a lot of that."

"It's quite a story." Giselle says, not going on any further.

"Is it something that you can't get out of?" I ask.

She opens her mouth, as if to answer, but then closes it again. "Just when I thought that bad dream was over, I'm not sure it is now. I'll get out of it, though. I'm almost there."

"Did he hurt you more than what he did, that night at the party?" I ask, keeping myself and my emotions in control.

"No." She softly replies. "And that was the first time he's hurt me in anyway. Physically, anyway."

Sensing some resistance as to what her reason was, I was about to apologize in case I was being to persistent. Though a part of me had to know what she was doing with that guy. He had a bad reputation for how he treated women and something tells me that Giselle is too smart to know before getting with him, what that reputation was.

"A couple of years ago, my sister was sick with breast cancer." Giselle quietly says. "Stage three, but with treatment, Brittany went into remission. The following year, it came back but this time, it was more advanced and more aggressive. It had spread to other parts of her body, like her bones and eventually her liver. They started giving her treatment as soon as possible. But the problem was, that she had a crappy health insurance and the insurance was only paying for half of the costs. Because she had gotten so sick, she wasn't able to keep working, and eventually she wasn't able to keep affording her half. Our brother and I offered to help, and so we did. Eventually, Michael and I had to take out loans to help make the payments."

My throat went dry and I couldn't help but wonder what happened. "Did she make it?"

Her hesitation was an answer. "Eventually, the treatments stopped working and the cancer was too advanced and so spread out through her body for anything else to work. They gave her two months. Brittany lasted four months before she died. Never thought I'd outlive my little sister."

Jackson whines and sits up, putting his head on Giselle's lap, as if he knew that something was bothering her, even though her face didn't really show it. She scratches his head and whispers something to him, and I watched as he follows her to the kitchen. I make my way there and see him sitting by the entrance to the kitchen and I stand near by. I watched as she turned off the chicken and went to drain the macaroni.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it feels like to lose a sibling." I say, not speaking further on it, especially when she didn't ask.

"To answer your question about Tim, when I first met him, I didn't know who he was." Giselle says. "I didn't know about what he did, nor his reputation. I was still having a bit of trouble paying of what was left of my loans. I didn't want to tell my brother because I didn't want him to know that I was having trouble with paying it and I just didn't want him to worry about me. So I went looking for help elsewhere and found myself with Tim. We were never in a relationship. It was simply me looking for someone to help me out. But what does it matter now, anyways? I made my bed with him and now I'm dealing with it."

It quickly frustrated me, because I can see in those eyes that she's a fighter. "Maybe I can help you get out of whatever situation you have with him."

"Why do you want to help?" She asks. "I appreciate you providing me with a way of getting home a couple of nights ago, and I appreciate you checking up on me. Thinking he could help me is what got me in this mess to begin with."

"Because no female to my knowledge did what you did that night." I say, walking up to her until I'm standing right in front of her, catching the soft scent of lavender. "You talked back to him and tried to stand up to him with all the courage in the world, and you didn't need liquid courage or anybody else to do it. That was all you, Giselle. That fight, that _need_ to fight against him...that is what's making me want to help you. Besides, you didn't deserve that from him. Or from any other guy. Knowing Tim's reputation, he will feel embarrassed by what you did and will blame you for what happened to him because of it. No matter how at fault he is for it. If he has anything to hold against you, he will use it and if you don't have any ammunition to use against him, he will try to find a way to eat you up before you get the chance to respond. It's not you to back down, is it? The way your eyes spark at the mention of it, tells me I'm right. Like the way a match sparks up when it strikes and you don't know how much I want to see that look in your eyes again and again.

I kept my hands at my side to keep from touching her and doing what I want to do to her, balling up into fists and releasing again. Just looking at her lips, reminds me of all the things I wanted to do to her that first night I saw her. Feeling something against my legs, I look down to see her German Shepard circling around.

"Jackson, out of the kitchen." Giselle tells him.

A few seconds pass before he walks out and goes back in the direction of the living room. Silence passes between us as she finishes up the food and turns everything off.

"What do you want from me in return for your 'help', however that is?" She asks, not looking at me.

"What makes you think I want anything from you in return?" I answer.

Giselle turned to face me as she showed me that smirk on her face as her blue eyes pierced through me. "You're a successful businessman, Roman, with billions of dollars to your name and fortune. What would make me think that a man like you wouldn't want anything in return? I'm not giving you money and I'm not a prostitute or a whore. Whatever you want to call them."

"Are you finished paying your loans?" I ask.

"Yes and without his help. He wasted my time." She quickly says. "I just want to be done with him, for good. It's all I want. I just want peace to return to my life. I've been through enough."

In that moment, Giselle looked so innocent yet so full of life all at the same time. I wanted to put a smile back on her face. I don't know what all she's been through other than what she's told me tonight, but something tells me that I won't like it, too much.

"Where's your phone?" I simply ask.

"What do you want it for?" She asks.

I put my hands in my pockets and walk out of the kitchen. Going into the living room, Jackson gets up and starts walking around when he sees me. Looking around, I see her phone on the table in front of the couch and grab it.

"Unlock it." I say, when I go back to the kitchen with her phone in my hand.

"Now he's telling me what to do. How nice." She mumbles.

I try to hide my smile as she takes her phone and puts her passcode in, before giving it back to me. I call my phone and watch her number appear on my phone. I end the call and give Giselle her phone back.

"Now we have each other's number." I say. "I'll get going now. If you decide that you need me for anything, just let me know."

"You'll be my superman?" She asks.

Shrugging, I back up out of the kitchen and grab my coat. "I'll see you around, Giselle. Take good care of her, Jackson."

He goes up to her when she comes out of the kitchen. I wanted nothing more than to walk back to her and have my way with her. But she doesn't need that right now, nor does she want that. I open the door as she walks up to me and before I do something crazy, I said goodnight and walked away without looking back. I had to make sure I left with some level of self control inside of me.

 ** _Giselle_**

It's been almost two weeks since I've seen or spoken to Roman. Something about that man infuriates me at the moment, but at the same time, I couldn't help but think about him. The way he made me feel and then when he got close to me, close enough to touch him I might add, I tried to convince myself to keep my hands all to myself. I wanted to see what he felt like under my hands, but I quickly threw those thoughts out of my head. Why does he want to help me? Why does he care so much about me when we don't know about each other? I stepped out of the building that I worked in, and was about to make my way to the train station when I see a familiar face, standing by a large SUV.

"Mr. Kelani?" I asked, walking up the gentle man who gave me a warm smile when he saw me.

"Good evening, Ms. Pena." He says. "I'll be taking you to Mr. Reigns' office."

I looked at him, curiously. "How does he know that I was going to be here? I'd never told him that I'd be here."

"Don't underestimate what Mr. Reigns knows." The man simply says. "He's a very smart man."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kelani. But I just want to go home. I've had a very long day and it's going to take me a while to get home." I say.

"I understand, Ms. Pena. But I'm just doing what I was told." He responds.

"Why?" I ask.

I seem to be asking that question a lot lately since meeting Roman Reigns and yet I can't seem to want to stay away. The amount of times that I've thought about calling him, simply because I wanted to hear his voice. At times, I wanted to convince him of something so that I can see him again. Anything to have that feeling inside of me again that I only seem to get with him.

"I don't know, I was simply told to bring you to him, this evening." The man says.

Letting out a sigh, I realized that this was my only chance at the moment to get to see him again. Agreeing, I get into the back seat and put on my seatbelt, happy to be out of the cold. I unzip my black coat, slightly to not get so hot. When Mr. Kelani gets in, it doesn't take long before he gets out of the parking and drives off.

"Where are you from?" I ask.

"Hawaii." He replies. "O'ahu. How about you?"

"Born and raised here." I softly say. "Do have any family?"

He gives a warm smile. "A wife and four kids. All girls and they're here in New York with me. The rest of my family is in Hawaii, Las Vegas and California."

"Do you ever miss them?" I ask.

"Yes, I do. But I go visit when I get the chance." He says. "How about you?"

I look out the window and watch as we go about New York City traffic, heading up towards 42nd street. "Just a brother. He's the only family I have left."

I didn't want to see the look in his eyes that I was sure, would be him feeling sorry for me that I didn't have any other family around. I didn't want people to keep feeling bad for me, so I stop talking about things that would get that reaction. I've gotten this far, doing so. I'll be okay, doing it a little bit longer.

When we got to 43rd street, Mr. Kelani parked in front of a large building. It was about 15 floors, at least and looked like it was just all metal and glass. It looked like someone could throw a rock at it and cause something to break. People in business suits were walking around and I didn't notice when the man walked up beside me.

"He's on the 14th floor. His secretary is expecting you." He says.

"Did he assume that I'd come?" I ask.

"Curious little thing, aren't you?" Mr. Kelani asks with a smile. "Don't lose that curiosity, dear. Go in."

The sun had already set early today, like it usually did here during the winter. The temperatures were clearly dropping and it was supposed to go down to the single digits overnight. Walking into the tall building, I get stopped by security and let them know that I who I was there for. They make a call and then let me pass, and I make my way to the elevator. I press the 14th floor when I get in and make the ride up. The doors open when the elevator finally gets up to 14 and I step out. The few people that were there, looked over at me and quickly saw that I didn't belong there and didn't fit in. Looking around, there were offices that filled up almost the entire floor. Some of the offices had their lights off and there was somebody going around, starting to clean up. There was, what looked like a large boardroom down the hall and a bathroom nearby. Rugs that muffled the sound of your footsteps. Top of the line computers. Top of the line everything, it seems.

"I'm here for Mr. Reigns." I tell the blonde secretary who looks like she gets highlights every few weeks. Her desk was large and her pink nails were clicking their way on the keyboard. She was wearing a black shirt and though I couldn't see what she was wearing from the waist down, I could tell she was the type of person who liked to show off her figure.

She looks up at me with her green eyes and waits a beat before replying. "Are you sure it's for this time?"

"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now." I said, not thinking about how it would come out.

She arches an eyebrow and picks up the phone when I hear that voice. "She can come in, Aly. I'm expecting her."

Looking over at the direction of the voice, I see him standing by the door with his hands in his pant pockets. He wore grey slacks with black dress shoes and a white button up shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves, showing his muscular forearms and a tattoo on his right forearm. His hair was up in a bun and his beard was still there, though it looked trimmed.

"You can come in." Says Roman as he looks at me with those blue eyes of his, in a way that nobody has looked at me before.

I make my way to him and take in his cologne when I get close enough. He stepped aside and let me in, closing the door behind us. Again, rugs that muffled the sound of your footsteps. It looked masculine with grey walls and black furniture. A black desk with a computer and a large black chair. A black sofa on the side and black bookshelves that were filled with books. Floor to ceiling windows that gave you some amazing views of the city.

"Can I take your coat?" He asks, behind me. "Offer you some water?"

I take off my coat and my sweater, showing my white button up shirt that was tucked into a pencil skirt that clung to my curves with heels that showed off my legs. I noticed his eyes linger on every part of me before reaching my curly hair and my face.

"How was your day?" He asks, hanging up my coat and sweater.

"Um, it was long." I reply. "Yours?"

He turns to face me and stays where he's standing. "Just came back from a business trip earlier today and I've been here since. So it's been a long day."

I nod and stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say. "Do people here always stare when you have someone in your office?"

Roman breaks his gaze from me and sees what I'm talking about. People getting a look as they pass by. Walking up to his desk, he presses something on it that causes blinders to close up, giving us privacy.

"How do you know where I work?" I ask, walking up to him. "And why am I here?"

"I have my ways of finding things out." He replies. "Maybe I wanted to see you because maybe two weeks was too long for me."

"You and your maybe's." I say, leaning against his desk.

He lets out a deep laugh and it causes my stomach to flip. "You and your questions."

"It doesn't hurt, though." I say with a shrug. "Now is that the only reason I'm here? I'm sure there are other women who want your time."

"But none of them are you." He simply says.

Our gazes hold and it seemed like minutes passed by before we looked away from each other. "What do you want from me, Roman?"

"I don't want your money, Giselle." Roman softly says. "I'm not going to force you to have sex with me, and I'm not a pervert. I may be an asshole at times, but I was raised right. I told you that Tim would get taken care of. So I'll make sure that happens. That'll be my help to you."

"Don't get yourself in trouble for me." I said, surprised that I cared about this man getting into any kind of trouble.

"I won't." He assures me.

Our fingers touch, just the slightest bit and he pulls back as if he was burned. It kind of stung, and I just wanted to shrink away. I watched as he walked over to the window and stays there for a few minutes before I decided to get my stuff to leave.

"My brother died almost two years ago." The man softly says. "Congestive heart failure. He was older than me, but that's how I know what it feels like to lose a sibling. Hoped he be around a lot longer."

"He is, in spirit, I'm sure." I tell him before reaching out for my stuff. "I'm sorry for your loss, though."

"Please, don't go." He whispers before turning around to walk up to me.

I put my hands down and look at him curiously. "I'm intrigued by you, Roman Reigns. You have a way of knowing things. You're mysterious and yet you don't say much about you."

"Maybe I like it like that, sometimes." He says, with the corner of his lips, lifting up.

Lifting up his hand, he slightly hesitates before lifting my chin with his fingers. The warmth of his fingers radiate through my body. The light pressure that he puts on my chin is enough for me to want more. His eyes go back and forth between my lips and my eyes, and I wonder if he'll do anything. What am I getting myself into with this man?


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you to those who have reviewed! I really appreciate it!**_

 ** _DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K, or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only._**

 ** _GISELLE_**

I woke up and stared out of my window to a feeling of wanting inside of me. Last night, Roman had insisted on taking me home and getting me Chinese food for dinner as a way to make up for keeping me and even offered to help me walk Jackson. He quickly left once I got back inside with him and that feeling I always get with him, was gone again. Maybe it's just a phase that I need to get out of my system, but until then, I'll just go about my business like I usually did and today was no different. It's a Saturday morning and I got to sleep in a bit today since I don't work on the weekends.

After brushing my teeth, I changed out of my pajamas and put on a sweater and jacket to go take Jackson for a walk. When I came back, I put some food and water in his bowls and started making myself some breakfast while starting to clean. I didn't have any plans for today, so I wasn't rushing through it. I hear my phone call and my heartbeat spiked, from a part of me hoping it was Roman. But it was my best friend and it made me smile.

"Hey, Jenny." I say when I answer, turning off the stove and grabbing a plate that I had washed.

"Hey, GG." She says, upbeat. "How you doing?"

Jenny and I met high school in an English class and we've been best friends ever since. She's one of the few people in my life that knows pretty much everything about me, from my childhood, to things that I've been through in the years since we've graduated high school. All of the good and all of the bad. She also became good friends with my brother over the last few years, and she's one of the few people that he trusts, especially with me.

"I'm good. About to eat breakfast. What are you up to?" I asked, after putting the scrambled eggs on my plate and some strawberries that I had bought yesterday morning.

"Same. What are you doing tonight?" She asks as I clean the pan and put it away, before grabbing a fork and going to the dining table.

I think for a moment. "Um, I don't have anything planned for tonight. Though I feel like that's about to change."

"Absolutely, it will." Jenny says, making me smile. "We're going out to dinner and we're going to go dancing as well."

"I don't know. I'm okay not doing the dancing part." I say, as Jackson sits down next to me. "Maybe just dinner?"

"No, we're doing both." She says, with that tone in her voice that says she won't change her mind. "Besides, you used to love dancing and was more than happy to go out dancing whenever we had the chance."

I let out a sigh and thought about it as I took a bite of one of the strawberries. "I know, I just haven't danced since she died."

"I know. I miss her, too." Jenny whispers. "But we can't spend the rest of our lives, not living it because of not wanting to do things that remind us of her. If anything, that's a reason for why we should do it. To keep her memory alive, GG. I know you and Michael miss her. But it's been three years. Can we give it a try? Besides, you can bring this Roman guy that you've mentioned. I want to see for myself this guy that you've called handsome and sexy."

"He doesn't seem like the dancing type and I don't think he'll want to go." I say. "He's probably too busy working on his billion dollar empire."

"Won't hurt to try. Besides, I know you well enough to know that he's got you interested enough to want to know more about him." She says. "If this is something that you think may help, then go for it. If he says no, it's on him. But from what you've told me, there's a chance he might say yes. I mean, making sure he finds out where you live. Finds out where you're going to be to send his driver to go pick you up."

"Oh, you mean all the creepy shit he's done?" I ask, drinking some juice and taking my plate to the kitchen to wash.

Jenny snorts as she laughs. "Creepy, I admit, therefore I agree with you on that. But something about him is making you want more, isn't there? Besides, call it creepy all you want, who else has ever done that for you?"

I thought about it for a moment as I put her on speaker so that I could keep cleaning the kitchen. What would I benefit from seeing him again, other than seeing him? That feeling that I always get when I'm with him, that's what. And the simple fact that seeing him again, brings back that feeling that I only get with him around.

"Fine, just give me the information and I'll let him know when I try to talk to him." I say.

After she gave me the information, we talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. It wasn't until I went out for lunch with Jackson, that I decided to try and call him. After a couple of rings, someone suddenly picks up and I hear that voice that I hadn't heard since the night before.

"Giselle." Says Roman on the other line. "How are you?"

"I'm good, just going to have some lunch with Jackson." I say, scratching his head when he looks up at me. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, you're not." He responds. "I was just thinking about you."

"You were?" I asked, almost wincing after it came out. "I mean, I'm glad. Umm, I mean, you know."

I hear his deep chuckle and my stomach flutters. "Its okay. What are you doing tonight?"

"Oh yeah, that's part of why I was calling." I say. "So my best friend invited me to go out with her tonight for dinner and we're going to go out dancing afterwards and so I was wondering if you wanted to come."

"I don't know. I'm not much of a dancing type of guy." He says.

For some reason, my heart wanted to sink. I told myself it didn't matter if he chose to not come along and that it was fine if he didn't. But actually facing the fact that he really may not come along, made me realize that I wanted him to.

"It's okay if you don't want to come along." I quickly say, keeping the walls around my heart intact. "I just thought I'd put the invitation out there and see if you wanted to, but it's okay. Really, it is. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day."

"Giselle, wait." Roman quickly says, but I insisted as if his answer was already given at the him not being the dancing type.

"Roman, it's fine. I was wondering if you wanted to." I say. "My food is ready, so I'm just going to go. Talk to you soon, bye."

 ** _ROMAN_**

Something was different in Giselle and I couldn't see what that was. I was happy to hear her voice and to talk to her, seeing as I had genuinely been thinking about her all day. It's true that I'm not much of a dancer, but I never said I wouldn't take her up on her invitation. She quickly put up a guard and tried to rub it off as if it was a straight out no. I shake my head, wondering when did I become someone who wanted to a woman happy. The only women I ever cared about, were those in my family, like my mother and my sisters. Suddenly, this woman comes around and I just want her all to myself and I don't know why.

My mother and sister have asked about her since that night at the party and they haven't done that in a long time. Then again, I haven't bought a woman around them in a long time, either for them to wonder and ask, other than the occasional 'when are you going to settle down' questions. I was the youngest of my siblings and I, and the only one who hasn't married or have a family of my own. Always trying to get them off of the subject, I give the excuse that I'm busy with work, and that's very much true. I haven't made it this far and been this successful without all the hard work that I've put into it. Too busy, basically to then be given the same speech, every time.

Making my way back to my office, after leaving the gym, I drown myself in work until I look at the time and see that it's almost 5 in the evening. I save what I had done so far on the computer, grab my stuff and make my way out to the barber shop for a shape up, in the cold, New York weather. The news had announced a drop in weather that would start last night and last for the entire weekend with a snow storm headed towards the tri-state area with people north of the city getting the hardest hit. Including Giselle. The drop in temperature was definitely being felt, and though a lot of people here were used to it, I wasn't, seeing as how I didn't grow up here in the North.

"Look at what the wind blew in." Said Mike, who was my barber up here in New York.

He was a few inches shorter than me, with a neatly groomed beard and a fresh cut. Brown eyes, brown hair, and was physically fit and just your average guy. Really nice, got along with a lot of people and easy to talk to. The shop was small, but it was in a good neighborhood with a lot of foot traffic and customers. Mike had opened up the shop a few years ago, and was considered a favorite in the area.

"I know, I know." I start off saying, as I put my bags down and take off my jacket. "I said I would come in tomorrow, but something came up and I thought I'd come in today instead."

Sitting down in his chair, he puts a cape around me and takes out what he'll use on me. We start talking about our day and we make some jokes with some input from some of the other guys.

"So what was this change of plans that made you come in today?" Mike asks. "A woman?"

"Something like that." I reply.

"You? Roman Reigns, going out on a date?" He asks, in shock. "Since when do you date?"

I open my eyes and look at him. "I didn't say it was a date. Her friend wants to take her out so that they could go to dinner and then go out to dance afterwards. She decided to invite me and so that's what I'm doing. Not a date."

"If you say so. She must be something if you're changing your plans around for her." Mike says.

"I didn't have any plans tonight anyways, except to just go home and maybe go back to the gym." I say.

"You, my friend, are one of the most eligible bachelors in New York." Mike says. "You have enough money to last you a lifetime, as long as you're smart with saving and spending, of course. Not to mention the women that already fly to you like moths to a flame because all they see besides your looks is dollar signs. But don't you ever think about slowing down and having someone to go home to every night instead of one night stands that'll just go home when you're done with them? Someone you can share your life with?"

"You sound like my family." I mumble.

He chuckles. "We just want to see you happy with someone. Money can't keep you happy forever, no matter how much you have or how many problems it can solve and people it can buy."

I said nothing as he finished up my hairline and went to my beard that I had been growing out for a while. Once he was done, I paid him and left a tip before gathering my things and leaving to go home. Once I get to the building, I walk in and greet security and the front desk as I make my way to the elevator. I get in and press the floor for the penthouse and start unzipping my coat. When the elevator opens, I'm met with the quietness that's always here.

Brazilian cherry, hardwood floors. Grey walls with white in some places. Carpet in the living room with ceiling to floor windows that give a view of the city and it's skyline. Black sofas and couches with a large flat screen television that I don't get to watch much with all the time I spend working and traveling. The kitchen with stainless steel, and an island that I always find myself sitting at by myself all the time, unless I have people over and a small bathroom in the hallway. Upstairs, the hardwood floors continue with three bedrooms. Two of them were a similar size, though they didn't have much inside as far as furniture goes, except for a bed and a dresser with curtains on the ceiling to floor windows. There was a bathroom nearby with a shower with glass surrounding it and an adjustable shower head and a tile floor.

My room was the biggest, with grey walls. A King size bed on the middle of the room with blacks covers and a black dresser. A small bench in front of the bed and two small tables, on one each side of the bed and both with a lamp. The windows with curtains that were pulled back, and a large cushion chair nearby. The bathroom connected to my room was slightly smaller than my room but it was big enough for me. A shower head surrounded by glass with multiple shower jets. A large tub with jets if their own, though I rarely used the tub for anything and a closet that I didn't really use for anything other than to keep some towels in there, along with soap and the usual necessities for the bathroom.

Putting my stuff down and my gym clothes in the laundry basket, I go take a shower to get ready to go. Forty-five minutes later, I'm making my way to my car. Though I like my expensive cars, I decide to go with my SUV and make my way to Giselle's place, hoping that she's still there, by the time I arrive. Even though there's been warnings of a storm coming, there's still more traffic than I expected. Probably with everyone wanting to get home before it arrives, to not get caught out in it. It takes me almost an hour to arrive at Giselle's apartment building and I manage to find parking before making my way up. When I finally get off on her floor and knock on the door, I hear barking, letting me know that Jackson was there. A young woman with brown hair and brown eyes opens the door. She's wearing a black shirt that stops right above her stomach, and though the shirt is covering her chest and cleavage, it's a thin material and you can still see it. Black jeans and black boots finish the outfit with her hair slicked back into a ponytail and a dark lipstick with some eye makeup that helped to bring out her eyes. Made me glad that I stayed with a casual look with jeans and a t-shirt, with sneakers and my hair pulled back into a bun. She's a beautiful woman, but something about Giselle made her stand out from everyone else.

"Can I help you?" She asks.

"I'm Roman. Is Giselle here?" I ask.

Her mouth forms an O before she speaks again. "So you're the Roman that she's been talking about."

Stepping aside, I make my way in and see the large German Shepard make his way towards me as he barks again. I let him smell my hand before he lets me pet him. Looking up, I see a man who's a bit shorter than me, but a similar skin complexion. He had short hair with brown eyes and had his jacket in his hand. A white button up shirt with dark blue jeans and boots, with a grey sweater on.

"Ryan. I'm with Jenny. Nice to meet you." He says, sticking out his hand. "I didn't know Giselle had a boyfriend."

"I don't." Says a voice from the hallway.

Everything around me stops when I see Giselle. A black mini dress that stopped mid thigh, showing off her thick legs that I wanted to just bite into, with black heels that helped them look more tone. The dress was off the shoulders and had buttons, slightly to the left as if keeping the dress closed. It clung to her body, showing off her killer curves and her her long brown hair, flowing down her back.

"Roman?" She asks, in surprise.

"Hey." I say, being able to only form simple words at the moment to keep me from babbling like an idiot.

"I'm Jenny, by the way." Says the woman who opened the door. "Best friend and you didn't tell me he was coming."

Giselle's cheeks turn red as she looked over at her friend before looking back at me and replying, so quietly. "I thought he wasn't."

"I meant it when I said I'm not much of a dancer." I say. "But I didn't mean to make it sound like I was trying to say no."

Her cheeks were a slight shade of pink as she shyly looked away. I chuckle softly and see Jackson make his way to her when she goes to grab her coat.

"Do you guys have a ride? I came in my car and it's big enough to fit all of us." I say.

They all agreed and about ten minutes later, we were all making our way out the door and to my car. I stay near Giselle, catching her perfume as it filled my nose. Getting to the car, I unlocked it and opened Giselle's door.

"You look beautiful." I softly say in her ear.

"Thank you." She quietly replies.

She looks up at me and I see those blue eyes of hers that take the breath right out of me. Helping her in, I felt something when our hands touched and seeing her smile, did something to me and I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with it. Getting myself together, I get in and ask where we're going, as I turn the car on and we then make our way to restaurant for dinner, which was going to be in Manhattan.

The drive is filled with conversation, though I kept my attention on the rear view mirror, to catch glimpses of Giselle. My favorite was she gave that big smile of hers that showed a dimple and hearing her laugh. Dinner went by almost too quickly, as we all sat and talked about the most random things. I enjoyed seeing Giselle interacting with her best friend. She was comfortable with her and you can easily tell that they cared about each other.

"Tell me something about you." Giselle asks as we make our way to the car. I look over at her and feel my lips turn up in a smile. "What, did you think I wouldn't want to know anything about you at some point?"

I chuckled and nod. "Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. I'm the youngest of my siblings and I'm Samoan and Italian. I went to Georgia Tech for college on a football scholarship and took up Management."

"Did you choose to not keep going in football?" She asks.

"I wanted to, but it didn't work out." I say. "So I decided to do something that had to do with my major and I came up here, and all that good stuff."

"Really?" She asks, looking up at me. "I don't get a better explanation to how you got here to New York and became a billionaire?"

"Baby, we're going to need a lot more time if you really want to get to know me." I say, as I open her door.

Giselle smiles up at me as her eyes sparkle. "Then we should make some time to make that happen."

"You're tempting." I quietly say.

"I am not. I'm just being myself." She replies, almost self-conscious.

I grab her chin, making sure she looks at me. "Don't ever stop because that's part of what makes you beautiful."

Her cheeks turn pink and she tries to hide it. "You're just being nice."

"I'm being honest." I say.

It makes me wonder what her previous experience with men have been, that's causing her to not fully trust me. When we finally get to the club that they mentioned, I find a parking two blocks away and we make our way to the entrance. The line isn't long, but when I speed up, Giselle holds on to my arm to keep up. That feeling arises in me once more, but I make sure that she doesn't let go as we get to the bouncer.

"They're with me." I say and when he nods, we make our way in.

"Just like that?" Jenny asks. "We need to hang out with you more often."

Giselle gives her best friend a look that causes her to giggle. The place wasn't that big, and was great for a more intimate setting, but the vibe was energetic and lively. People dancing, music blasting, and bottle girls walking around with hundreds of dollars worth of drinks. We make our way to a booth and put our things down before I sit.

"You're really not going to dance?" Jenny asks.

"It's okay, I'll just watch and keep an eye on our things." I reply.

She shrugs and looks over at her friend. "This does not give you a pass to not dance. Let's go."

Giselle pouts as Jenny grabs her hand and playfully asks me for help as she walks by with Ryan walking behind them. I sit back and watch as Giselle freezes up momentarily before she starts singing along to the song and eventually dancing along to it. I smile as I look on and watch as she moves her body along to the beat of the music. The intoxicating way that she moved her hips and just danced as if nobody was watching. Though, several eyes were watching and guys started appearing and wanting to dance with her. That need in me that wanted to posses over her was threatening to take over and eventually, I got up and made my way over to her.

"Sorry fellas, but she's with me." I say, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Some of them wanted to argue with it, but then she stepped closer to me and rested an hand on my chest. "Sorry, but I'm his."

Hearing those words come out of her mouth, did something to me and I damn near decided to take her home with me at that very moment. Instead, I grabbed her hand and took her back to the booth.

"You can't say those words around me, Giselle." I say, trying to keep control over myself, opening and closing my fists.

"What's wrong with you?" She asks, as she watches my hands.

I turn around to face her and pull her close to me. "Damn it, Giselle. I want you and I'm trying to keep it together, right now. But I don't want to share you, and I won't."

"Want me, how?" She asks, not fighting being this close to me.

"If only you knew the things that I want to do to you. Bite those lips of yours, being one of them. But you, Giselle Pena, you're not the kind of girl who easily gives herself up and so I'm being respectful." I say, resting my forehead against hers.

"You don't want to get to know me, then?" She asks, almost sounding defeated.

I let out a breath and close my eyes. "How I have desperately wanted that since the first night I saw you."

'You're confusing, Roman." Giselle says. "You want to get to know me, but you insinuate that you want more as well and who knows what else..."

"Damn it, Giselle, I don't know how to make sense of it." I say. "I just know that I'm not trying to let you go. You make me feel things that I've never felt before with any other female and it's confusing the hell out of me because, you turn me on in ways that nobody has ever managed to do. But I want to know everything about you that there is to know. I just...if I do that, I feel like I won't want to share you."

There was a long silence and I almost thought that she was going to tell me that doesn't want to see me again. But then she speaks.

"As long as you know that I don't share, either." She says.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Thank you for the reviews so far!_**

 ** _DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K., or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only._**

 ** _ROMAN_**

After dropping Jenny and Ryan off at their place, Giselle is still sitting in at the back seat when I get to her building. I look at her through the rear view mirror and notice how quiet she's been on the ride back.

"Would you like me to walk you up?" I ask.

"Yes." She softly says.

I drive around until I find a parking and we make our way to her apartment. Jackson quickly wakes up and comes over to Giselle, and she happily greets him before he goes back to his bed and lays back down. She takes off her jacket and puts it away before going to her room and comes back a few minutes later without her shoes on. My eyes linger on her curves and I wanted to touch them myself to see what they felt like underneath my hands. I try to find something to do to keep my hands to myself and thoughts elsewhere.

"Would you like to stay a little longer?" She asks. "Unless you want to start heading home. The snowfall is only going to get heavier and I don't have anything to help get your car out."

I go up to the window in the kitchen and see that it was already starting to fall and coat everything. I think for a moment and wonder how the hell I would survive a night here, with Giselle. Turning to face her, she looked so innocent with her face clear of fresh and her hair pulled back and up in a bun and out of her face.

"I'll figure something out. Besides, I think I have a story that I want to finish." I say, catching her interest.

"Yes, you do." She says. "You can go to the living room, I'll be there in a moment."

Taking off my coat, I go and take a seat before she comes back in a t-shit and sweat pants, looking more comfortable. She takes a seat next to me and we face each other after getting comfortable.

"So football didn't work out. Why not and what made you want to come up here instead of going back home?" She asks.

"I thought it would work out." I say. "Football was one of those things that I spent my whole life doing, and not to sound cocky or anything, but I thought I was good at it. I had gotten a scholarship for college ball and I started for three years, from sophomore year to senior year and I was one of the captains during my senior year. But I didn't get drafted in the NFL draft, even with all of my accomplishments and every team I signed with after that, only released me shortly after. The CFL is the only place where I stayed for more than a month, but I was released after a year and then I retired from football. I barely had money and I wasn't sure what exactly I had to do, I just knew that I had to do something."

Giselle had curled up on the couch and looked on, wanting to hear more. "I decided to use my degree for something and so I thought what better place to try than New York City. As for taking the route of shipping, to me, it wasn't something that I heard of a lot of people doing, in my opinion. For some reason that caught my attention and I wanted to give it a try along with wanting to become one of he best at it. So I learned everything that I could when I started out and worked my way up to what I have now."

"Do you like what you do?" She asks. "Even with all of the work and long hours that go into it?"

"Yeah I do." I say. "It's hard, but it's worth it. What about you? How'd you end up here in New York?"

Giselle smiles softly. "I was born and raised here. I lived in Orlando for a while before coming back up here."

"Why'd you move to Florida? And why'd you leave?" I ask.

"I wanted to get away from here. It was kind of rough growing up, but I liked it in Florida." She says. "My dad was in and out since my brother was born. Shortly after my sister was born, he left. He never came back and I never saw him again, even to this day. We lived in the projects with our mom, and I had to share a room with my brother and sister the entire time. My mom had trouble keeping the really good jobs and was only able to keep the minimum wage ones, so we had trouble with money. Then one day, when I was 12, she had us pack up everything we had and we thought we were just moving. But we went to the precinct that was nearby and she left, leaving us there. We were there for a while before we realized that she might not be coming back and we were right. We didn't have any other family to take us in and we were eventually put in the foster care system. I was there until I was 18 and I went to Florida for college. Micheal, my brother, was already there for school and Brittany came a year after me. After my sister died, I moved back up here. Michael is still there, though."

"Do you ever think about moving back to Florida?" I ask.

She thinks for a moment and looks over at me. "Sometimes and I miss living there, so who knows what will happen. When we were in foster care, I think they tried to keep us together, at least that's what I used to tell myself because we were together more often than not, but we were split up twice before getting put back together. We were more inseparable after each time and so sometimes I think we're still in that mindset of wanting to be close to each other instead of being separated and so far away from each other like we are now. I miss him a lot. I think that because we were moved around quite a bit, I'm just wanting to stay in one place for a bit before moving again."

"You want something stable though, regardless." I say, looking over at her.

"Yeah." She whispers, meeting my eyes and giving me a sad smile. "It's in the past, there's nothing I can do about it now, except continuing to move forward and trying to enjoy life as much as I can. I don't want to keep being that girl that's always sad and acting out from being so angry because of what has happened. I'm good, though. I got my best friend up here and I have Jackson. I have my job and my own place. I don't have to rely on anybody to get things done for me and I'm just good. Who's your favorite team in football?"

I give her a smile before replying. "49'ers. You still talk to your brother?"

"Everyday." Giselle says. "And I like the Saints. Are you close with your family? Don't you ever think about going back to Florida?"

"I am, were a pretty close knit family and we're always in contact with each other." I say, feeling bad that she didn't really have that positive experience growing up. "I've thought about it here and there, because I haven't seen them as much as I have wanted to. So I hear that you're single."

Giselle looks over at me and gives me a curious. "Are you?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." I tell her. "And I meant it when I said I don't share."

"Good, so you won't mind if I don't share you either, right?" She asks.

I couldn't help but want to smile. "Is that what we're supposed to agree on?"

"What is it that you really want from me, Roman?" She asks. "Why are you being so nice to me, and wanting to get to know me and spend all this time with me?"

"You don't trust people easily, do you?" I ask.

Giselle looks over at me after checking on Jackson. "No, because people have given me reasons not to and people tend to not stick around. They tire of me eventually and put me aside. It's how it's always been for me. People eventually get tired of me and get rid of me. The only exceptions have been my brother and Jenny. What makes you any different, that I should trust you? Don't give me none of your maybe's or answer me with a question."

"Not everybody is a horrible person." I tell her. "There's people out there are actually good and I know I may be an asshole sometimes, but I'm not a monster. Besides, do you really think I'll ever get tired of you?"

"You will, one day. Everyone does. You'll get what you want out of me, or get frustrated because you're not getting what you want, and then want nothing to do with me anymore." Giselle says, in a heartbreaking voice. "That's how it goes."

"It doesn't have to be like that, love." I say, making sure she hears me. "You're more than enough and you deserve people who will stick around."

Her face turns red and she hides it. "Just because you show me attention and say all these nice things, it doesn't mean that you won't leave. It's not that easy for me."

The tone in her voice when she says it, pulls at my heart. Thinking about how she grew up, maybe people really haven't given her much reason to trust them. I never thought about what it was like being in foster care, especially with no other family to take them in and prevent it and then to be split up from the only family that she did have on more than one occasion. Something inside me just wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. This was a woman who, despite everything she's been through and how her walls have been built because it and her lack of trust in people, she has a beautiful soul and a beautiful heart that deserves good in her life.

"Hey, don't do that." I gently say, grabbing her chin so that she looks at me. Her blue eyes are confused as she looks on. "Don't hide from me. I know you probably don't trust me right now. We haven't known each other long enough and I get that. But don't hide from me. I got you. Okay? I got you."

Her eyes shine over and she looks as if she wanted to cry, but she quickly blinks it away. Curling up where she sat, she made herself comfortable again and fell quiet again. It wasn't long before she started dozing off and when I looked at the time, it was already a little past four in the morning. I got up and carefully put my arm under her legs and the other around her back, gently lifting her up. Giselle softly whimpered before curling up against my body, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her body felt soft against my hands and the way her curves felt, made me want more, but the feeling of wanting to protect her came back to me. It took me back to the first night that I ever saw her. Seeing the way that she was being treated, I just wanted to rip the guy's head off for ever putting his hands on her. When I found her room, the lights were already on and the covers on her bed were already pulled back. Red and grey sheets on a large bed in the middle of her room with a few pillows on them. Gently laying her down, she made a face, though her eyes remained closed. Pulling the covers up to her stomach, she seemed to relax and snuggle underneath the covers. Giselle looked so vulnerable and innocent as she slept and I wanted to keep her from the world. Keep her from everything that would ever bring her harm because I wanted to protect her.

Looking around her room, the walls were slightly off white. Curtains on her windows that were closed, and pictures around the room. I picked one up and saw Giselle standing in the middle, a large guy with dark hair and blue eyes standing on one side and a woman who looked similar to her on the other side of her. I realized, with the similarities in their appearance, they were her brother and sister. They all looked so happy, and Giselle had that sparkle in her eye and that dimple of hers that helped bring out the youthfulness in her appearance. Looking back at the woman sleeping in the bed, I wondered how she managed to still put a smile on her face all the time and go on with life after having it so rough and with the loss of her sister.

Walking up to her, I leaned down and pressed my lips on her forehead for a soft kiss. I backed away, almost in shock. It's been such a long time since I've shown any affection to a woman that wasn't my mother and sisters. But with Giselle, I was hooked on her. It was like I had become a man obsessed with her and she wasn't even mine to obsess over.

Turning the lights off, I walk out and find the room that I would stay in. It was slightly smaller than Giselle's and a lot smaller than my bedroom. But it was simple and cozy. It reminded me a bit of my childhood and the house I grew up in. Getting to the bedroom, I saw a folded towel and a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste with a note beside it. The feminine handwriting said:

 _'It's not much, but it's all I have. I hope it's okay.' -Giselle_

I wanted so much to make her mine. Sometimes the smallest, most simple things can mean the most and she understood that. She lived that. Giselle had a good job that paid well and she still enjoyed the simple things. After taking off my shirt and placing it on the back of a chair, I go brush my teeth and then take off my shoes. I found myself walking over to her room and standing by the door, watching her sleeping form. Groaning, I leaned back against the wall next to the door of her room and just sat that, not wanting to leave her. I was used to going on little to no sleep, but I knew it would be a long night.

 ** _A few days later..._**

 ** _GISELLE_**

I was at work, coming back from lunch when I see a delivery guy bringing in a large bouquet of flowers. Hearing the guy say my name when he was asked who they were for, I answered and he smiled as he handed me the flowers.

"Are you sure it's for me?" I asked, confused as to who would send me flowers.

"I was told to deliver to this address to a Giselle Pena." The man says.

Taking the flowers, I thank him and go to my desk. Seeing a card nestled in between the flowers. Opening it, I feel a lump in my throat, seeing the masculine writing on the card.

 _'Giselle, will you go out to dinner with me, tonight? How does 8 pm sound?' -Roman_

I feel my face turn red and feel it going down to my neck. I didn't realize I was smiling so much until a coworker came by and asked who the flowers were from.

"Someone." I simply said, putting the card in my pocket.

The person speaking was Elijah, who I met on my first day here. I worked as a Crime Scene Investigator, or CSI and when I first started, it was as an assistant to one of the senior CSI's, even though I had some experience from working as one in Florida for a bit before moving back up here. It was rough the first few days and he was one of the few people who helped me out and made sure I was okay. He was handsome, standing at 6 feet. Even though he is a little older than me, the man was in great shape. Brown eyes, dark hair, chiseled chin. Some would say he looked like a Greek God. But I couldn't get my mind off of Roman. Ever since we met, he's been nothing but nice to me and even though he's sometimes infuriated me, and made it clear that he finds me attractive, he's also been a gentleman. Everything with him felt normal. It felt right and it kind of scared me a bit. I want to believe that he won't just leave me like everyone else has, but how do I just let myself allow him to show me? How can I when I automatically put up a wall to keep the distance there so that I won't get hurt?

"It's someone I met a couple of weeks ago." I tell him.

"Oh, so it's a guy?" He asks.

We've been really good friends, and he's never given me the vibe that he's wanted anything more than that. When the moment ever came, where I got even the slightest hint of it, Elijah would quickly shut it down. For me, though, I never felt anything for him that went beyond a friendship. I always assure him though that he would find someone that would be great for him.

"Yes." I simply say, seeing a look on his face. "What is it?"

"Nothing. You just never talk about being with someone or having a romantic relationship or feelings with anybody, and it's the first time since you started here, that someone has sent you flowers."

I look down at the flowers and touch one of them, catching the scent in my nose. "Yeah, well, I haven't really had anybody interested enough in me to do it, I guess."

"Don't underestimate how amazing you are." Elijah says, in a soft voice. "The right guy will see that, but you need to see it, too."

I gave him a smile and watched him walk away. I let out a sigh and looked at the time, suddenly wanting 8 o'clock to come around so that I can see Roman again. I can still remember seeing him, Sunday morning when I woke up, sitting outside my room. According to him, he couldn't sleep so he stayed nearby to make sure I was okay. I felt bad because he had barely gotten any sleep, but I couldn't deny myself the part of me that was happy to see that he hadn't left, even when I believed he didn't have much reason to stay, other than the weather. Sometimes I wondered if I was ever enough, but when I doubted I was the only reason that Roman stayed, he didn't seem to like that I doubted myself or his reason for sticking around. Either way, we'll see if he keeps sticking around.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thank you for the reviews!**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K, or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**_

 ** _GISELLE_**

Coming out of work, I'm carrying my flowers with me when I see Mr. Kalani standing outside in his normal attire of black. He gives me a warm smile and I couldn't help but return the smile at the man. He's been nothing but nice to me since the night we met and I enjoy talking to the man, the few times that we have talked.

"Good evening, Ms. Pena. How are you?" He asks.

"I'm good. How are you?" I ask.

He smiles and says that he's doing well. "Can I offer you a ride home, this evening?"

I thought for a moment. "Of course. Thank you."

Once we're ready to go, he drives into traffic and eventually on the highway.

"Those are nice flowers." He comments with a smile.

"Thank you." I reply, feeling warm, but with butterflies now in my stomach. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead." He says.

I look out the window before looking back at him. "Has he ever done this before? Doing with others what he's done with me?"

"For as long as I have known Mr. Reigns, the amount of interest he's shown in you so far, I've never seen him do that with anybody else. The things he's done for you, such as those flowers and always making sure you get home safely, and always wanting to get to know more about you, he doesn't normally do that unless it's for his mother and sisters." Mr. Kalani says. "But I knew from that night when we first met, that you were something special. What are you doubting, my dear? If it's genuine?"

"I guess." I say softly. "I'm not really sure what all I doubt."

"Don't let those doubts eat you up." The man says. "It's a shame to miss out on something because of doubt. Underneath all that money, the fancy suits, the nice cars, and everything that comes with it, Mr. Reigns really is a good guy."

I went back to looking out the window and watch the cars and trees that we pass by on our way out of Manhattan. It wasn't long before we pulled up in front of my building. I had texted Roman on the way to let him know that 8 o'clock was perfect. He replied quickly after and said to dress like I normally would on my days off. Getting my apartment, I hear Jackson barking before I even get in. Once inside, he happily barks and wags his tail, as I greet him and give him a hug.

"I missed you, today." I tell him, rubbing his back before he happily walks around me.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm taking him out for a walk and letting him run around a bit in the park near my building before taking him back up. Looking at the time, I look through my closet to see what I can find that would look presentable and when I do, I make sure Jackson gets out of my room before I go take a shower. I was doing fine until I came out and started getting dressed in jeans that fit my legs perfectly, and a blue t-shirt that fit to my curves and bought out my eyes. I was beginning to feel nervous and I wasn't sure why. I've clearly spent time with him before tonight and I've always been fine afterwards. Not sure what to do with my hair, I left it out and neatened it up, letting hang down my back and I then put on some lipgloss and one of my favorite perfumes. Jackson starts barking and a moment later, there was a knock on the door.

"He's early." I whisper, seeing that he was a little over 15 minutes early.

Looking in the mirror one last time, I make my way to the door, where Jackson barks again. I get him to sit and open the door to find Roman standing on the other side with a black coat on, dark jeans, sneakers and his hair up in a bun. There was a black hat in his hands and he gave me that devastatingly handsome smile of his as his eyes made their way from my head to my feet and back up.

"You look really nice." He softly says.

"Thanks." I replied, feeling warm. "Come in. You look handsome. Nice to know you can dress in street clothes, rather than your fancy suits all the time."

"I try." He says with a chuckle. "Hey, big guy. How you doing?"

Jackson walks up to him and lets him scratch his head before he walks over to me and sits in front of me. I blow him a few kisses and let out a giggle when he looks up at me with his big brown eyes. I fill up his bowls with some food and water and I put on my coat and grab my purse, making sure that I have my keys and letting Roman know that I was ready to go.

"Be a good boy, okay?" I tell Jackson. He's always been a good dog with me, but it's become habit every time I go out, to say that. "I'll be home soon."

He whines and I pout, wanting to take him with me. I bend down and I make sure he's okay before leaving. Going downstairs, I look around before looking up at Roman.

"Come." He says with that smile of his, holding out his hand.

I grab a hold of it and I could feel the electricity that passed through us when our hands touched. I wondered if he felt as it well, while he kept a firm hold on my hand, as if we were an actual couple. Once again, that feeling came over me again that I've had with him ever since we met. It's a feeling where I knew I was safe with him and that feeling where it felt normal. It felt right.

We got to Roman's car, and he opened the door for me, letting me go in first. When he made sure I was okay, he closed the door and got in on the driver's side, starting the car after he turned it on.

"Such a gentleman." I tell him, unzipping my coat a bit and trying to get comfortable.

"I'm capable of being a nice guy, you know." Roman tells me, putting on his seatbelt.

"I never said you weren't." I tell him, leaning my head back on the headrest and looking over at him.

He smiles as he pulls out of the parking and starts driving. "I know, there's people with money who aren't always the nicest people. There's people in general who are like that, regardless of the money, though."

"You don't let it get to your head, though." I say, looking over at him again.

Roman shrugs. "I remember what it feels like to not have a lot of money. To be broke and live paycheck to paycheck."

We stayed quiet for a moment before talking about how our days went and I almost didn't realize that we were going over the George Washington Bridge.

"We're going to New Jersey?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah. There's this really good Chinese place in Fort Lee." Roman replies. "Have you ever been to New Jersey?"

I thought for a moment. "A couple of times, but never for a date."

"So you agree that this is a date?" He asks, with amusement in his voice.

"What? Roman!" I exclaim, starting to feel embarrassed, thinking it probably wasn't a date. Was this really a date, though?

He chuckles. "Baby, I'm just teasing. This is definitely a date."

Something about the way he calls me 'baby', that gives my stomach butterflies. I still pout and look over at him before he grins and winks. When we get to the restaurant and park, he walks over to my side and grabs my hand again, as we walk to the entrance. By the looks of it, this place was packed with all of the cars that were here tonight.

"Have you ever been here before?" He asks.

"No." I say, looking at the large restaurant. "I just stick to the Chinese spot by my house. Or the one I order from sometimes at work for lunch."

Going inside, we stood in line and I can feel his presence behind me. The warmth from his body. His cologne. Just his overall being. When it's our turn, we pay for two adults and drinks before picking a table and placing our receipt down.

"An all you can eat, Chinese buffet? This is pretty cool." I mumble looking around the tables filled with people with plates of food.

After taking my coat off and placing it behind my chair, I follow Roman to where we can grab a plate and utensils and start looking around for what to get. I end up choosing pork fried rice with general tso and an egg roll. Roman shows up a moment later and we both grab a seat.

"How'd you end up taking Jackson in?" Roman asks, taking a bite of his broccoli.

"It's a bit of a long story, but it started when Jenny wanted to go get a puppy and so I went with her." I started out saying. "I didn't have any intentions of getting a pet for myself, so I wasn't trying to ask a lot of questions or anything like that, so I was just looking around. When we got to the pen where Jackson was in, he was there with a few other puppies but he stood out to me. He tumbled around and jumped around a bit before going into a little corner and just sitting there, all by himself. His owner, before he was put there, was the same owner for his mom, but he would abuse the mom and was just horrible with animals. Like he wasn't meant to be a pet owner. Beat his mom so badly that she was blind in one eye by the time he was born. She was also malnourished and neglected so she had trouble feeding her puppies, so they in turn, weren't getting the proper nourishment they needed from mom and since the owner was neglectful, it didn't help. People were starting to make complaints about how they were being treated, and when people came in to check, they ended up taking them away. They were able to help them out, bathe them. Feed them. Nursed them back to health and put them up for adoption. Even though the mom was blind in one eye, she was eventually adopted and so were his brothers, but they were being adopted one by one and Jackson was the only one left. By this time he was already four months old. I just felt this connection with him and I couldn't help but want to keep him and so I adopted him. I had to buy food and a small bed for him the same day and I took him home. He's been with me ever since."

Roman looks over at me and smiles. "Explains why he's so happy with you and loyal. You took him in and took care of him. Fed him. Bathed him. Made sure he was healthy and strong. Treated him good. You still do."

"That's my little baby." I say. "Well, he's not a baby anymore and he's clearly not little anymore, but you get what I mean. Do you have any pets that I don't know about?"

"Nope." He says. "But I do like dogs, so that's a plus, right?"

I laugh softly, our eyes catch, and everything around us seemed to stop. All that seemed to matter at that moment was just me and him in this very moment in time. My face grows warm with the way he looks at me, which is how he looks at me more often than I realized. I wasn't used to being given all the attention that he gave me, and with my experience, I sometimes doubted any genuine feelings or reasons. But I did like being the center of his attention.

"I'm going to get some more food." I say, breaking the connection momentarily.

"Yeah, me too." He says.

We both take our time, but when we get back to our seats, its as if we picked up where we left off, talking about things that we have in common and learning about each other. We were there for what seemed like forever, even though it was two hours before we finally left. When we were finally in the car, driving back over the bridge, Roman looked like he had something on his mind, though he started talking before I could ask anything.

"I know this is a first date, and there's all this stuff about what you can and can't talk about on the first date or whatever, but I feel like this is something I should tell you." He says. "Something I should be honest with you about."

Looking up at him, I give him a curious look. "What is it?"

"Eleven years ago, I was diagnosed with Leukemia." Roman says, keeping his eyes on the road. "We were able to quickly put it in remission, and I was okay. But back in October, it came back. I had some blood work done, and they told me that they found something off and wanted to do the blood work again, just to make sure. So we did it again and when we got the results back, I knew there was something wrong and given my history, we knew what it was."

"What about now?" I ask, looking ahead.

"I'm in remission." Roman replies. "But I wanted to let you know because I thought you should know that about me. I thought something like that should be mentioned, given that it's about my health."

Looking out the window, I could see his reflection a bit and couldn't take my eyes off of him. I guess this is what a lot of people think when they ask how could someone be so sick when they look so healthy. But it doesn't take a genius to see that Roman, despite his Leukemia, takes good care of himself, and tries to be as healthy as he can be.

"You really are in remission?" I ask in a tiny voice.

"Yeah, I am." He replies. "Talk to me, Giselle."

I look over at him and see that he's still trying to pay attention to the road, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on dash between us.

"Does this change anything?" I ask. "Between us? I don't want to go through it again, where I lose someone drop cancer."

"It doesn't have to." Roman replies. "I'll keep fighting. I'm in remission, I make sure I'm doing what I can to stay healthy. I'm trying and staying positive and having faith in God that I'll be okay."

"You're feeling okay?" I ask. "I mean, after all the treatments, you're okay?"

"I feel good." He says, reassuringly. "Positive."

I realized we were almost in my neighborhood and I took his hand without thinking. Looking down at our joined hands, mine fit perfectly in his. Roman looked as if he wanted to smile, and I leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." I whisper in his ear before sitting back in my seat.

The rest of the ride happened too quickly and we were parking in front of my building. I was disappointed because I didn't want it to end. Despite the news that Roman was in remission, I still cared more than I was letting on and I had the habit of caring too much once I started. He walks me up to my apartment and we turn to face each other.

"Would you like to come in?" I ask. "I think I might have some desert, if you'd like."

"Sure." He replies with an amused smile. "I think o can fit in a little bit more."

We went in and I checked on Jackson after putting my stuff down, to see that he was getting up and making his way over to me.

"Hey, Jackson." I say, scratching his neck. "How's my big guy doing, huh?"

A few moments later, he goes back to his bed and lays down comfortably. I catch Roman looking on and I quickly feel my face grow warm when he smiles. I found some ice cream that I had left in the freezer and we shared some while we talked.

"You know, I thought you'd try to do some fancy restaurant where you have to dress up and end up with a bill of over $300." I say. "But I liked this. It was very simple. Not that there's anything wrong with a fancy restaurant, as long as the food and the service are really good. I just liked it."

"I thought about it." He says. "But you're different. It doesn't mean I won't ever take you to a place you might consider fancy, I thought this would be a good start."

I stayed quiet for a moment and he could tell something was on my mind, but a part of me didn't want to express it. Leaning against the counter, it took me by surprise when Roman stepped closer to me and put a hand on one side of the counter.

"Giselle," He softly says, his strong fingers brushing against the back of my arm and sending warmth and electric shocks throughout my body, while his voice made me want to hear more. His eyes urging me to talk and I hesitated. What the hell was going on with me?

"I care too much." I blurt out and he looks confused. "Once I start caring about someone or something, I tend to care too much."

His eyes soften and he stands in front of me, placing his other hand on the other side of me. Being this close in proximity to this man, was something else. My mind nearly went blank and my stomach fluttered.

"Do you consider that a bad thing?" Roman asks.

"So I'm sensitive, I've always known that about myself. I feel everything so deeply and I've grown to like it once I accepted that it's how I am. I just...I don't want to scare you off by caring too much about things. About you."

"And here I was, hoping I wouldn't scare you off with the leukemia thing." He mumbles.

Looking up at him, I say, "I've been through the whole cancer thing with my sister, remember? But I'm sorry, in advance."

"Don't apologize for that." Roman says, shaking his head and suddenly pulling away from me. "Don't apologize for how you are, Giselle and don't let anybody make you feel bad for it and don't let anyone make you doubt yourself. Since the time we've met, I've seen how smart you are. I've seen how much of a heart you have, especially when you're with Jenny and Jackson."

Hearing Jackson's whimpers, I quickly look to see him walking towards me. I rub his back, trying to see if he was okay when I remembered the loud music that I can still hear, even with the doors closed. It wasn't coming from my floor, but we weren't exactly sure what floor it was that the music was coming from. It wasn't the first time this week that it's happened, but I'm sure he doesn't like it. Neither does everybody else that's complained about it.

"It's okay, buddy." I tell him, letting him stay beside me.

"Are you working on Friday?" I hear Roman ask.

Turning my attention back to him. "No, I have to take him to the Vet. It was the only day I could get him in."

"Pack a weekend bag for yourself and Jackson." Roman says. "I'll come pick you up."

"Excuse me?" I say, shaking my head, as if he was speaking a different language. "What? Pack a bag for what? Where are you taking me? Why do I need a bag and why does that sound like I'll be away from here for more than a few hours?"

All he does is shrugs and gives a hint of a smile. "You'll see, but pack enough clothes for the weekend. Clothes that you'll be comfortable in and clothes for dinner. Don't forget to bring Jackson. Now be a good boy for her, okay? And I'll see you on Friday, right buddy?"

Roman scratches his head before grabbing his jacket and without saying another word about Friday, he turns as I walk towards him and the door.

"Goodnight, Blue Eyes." He says with that handsome smile.

"I better be the only person getting all of these nicknames from you." I blurt out without thinking.

Roman chuckles. "Of course you are."

I could see the sincerity in his eyes and I felt butterflies again in my stomach. He gave me a wink before looking over at my dog and smiling. He walked out of the door and I waited until he had gotten on the elevator. Closing the door, I let out a sigh and look over at Jackson who was sitting a few feet away from me. I didn't know what to think. I was starting to care a lot about this guy. More than I have about any man that wasn't my brother. It's been so long since I've felt anything for a guy and I wasn't sure if it made me happy or scared. That feeling I get when I'm with him, it's something I haven't felt with a guy in I don't know how long, and it makes me want to hesitate because I tend to doubt people's reason for wanting to be with me or be around me until I trust them enough to stop doubting and they show me that they won't leave. But something tells me that I need to keep him around a bit longer and that it will be okay. Something deep inside of me that tells me that the good guy is the 6 foot 3, Samoan and Italian man with tattoos, long hair and a billionaire, with a good heart and a man that had faith in a higher power and that man is Roman. I just hope that it keeps being that man.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Thank you for the reviews so far and for everyone who's following this story!_**

 ** _DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K, or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only._**

 ** _ROMAN_**

It was Friday afternoon and I've been working nonstop over the last two days. Giselle has constantly been on my mind and I can't get her out. I knew she had taken the day off today to take Jackson to the vet today and so I told her to pack a bag for herself for the weekend and to pack something for him as well. She didn't know where I was taking her or what my intentions were, so I don't blame her for hesitating and not trusting me right away. But I wanted to show her a little bit of my world. Traveling and the fancy stuff as she likes to call it. I can't help but smile though when I do think about her. The way she looks when she's thinking about something. The way she looks when she's relaxed and comfortable, and enjoying the moment. Hey blue eyes and the way they remind me of a clear blue sky or the deep blue of the ocean.

"Here I thought you were up to your neck in work." Says Seth Rollins who has become like a brother to me over the last few years since we've met.

He's about an inch or two shorter than me and even though I outweigh him by a good amount, he's still in the best shape ever and athletic as can be. He has brown eyes and black hair and a beard and is from Iowa. We met almost ten years ago, right before I came up to New York and we've been the best of friends ever since.

"I was." I tell him as he sits down across from me. "I've just been working nonstop, like I usually do. I caught up and got ahead of a lot of things that I wanted to take care of before this weekend."

"What's so important about this weekend that you're actually not wanting to do anything work related?" He asks. "When do you ever do that?"

I shrug as I finish up a couple of emails and send them. "I've had a couple of free weekends before. This isn't the first time, you know."

"Yes, but this is the first time in about almost three years where Dean and I don't have to invite you somewhere first before you do it." Seth points out. "Hey, I'm not complaining. Just not so used to seeing you willingly wanting to free up some time."

Seth's right. For the last couple of years, I've been working extra hard and keeping myself busy. It's helped to get myself and my business to where it is today, which is a lot better than what it was three years ago. Business is booming and money is coming in. I've been focused and determined to be better each year, no, each day, than what I was the day before. I've got a good clientele, and great partnerships with people. Unfortunately, I've nearly sabotaged my personal life to be able to put my all into my business. Luckily, I have Seth and Dean, who's also like a brother to me, and my family. But my family's all the way in Florida. States and countless miles between us for long periods of time before we get to see each other again.

"I know, but there's a reason for it." I start out saying before my phone vibrates.

I look to see it was a message from Giselle. Something told me to open it and when I do, I see that it was a video of Jackson at what looked like to be the vet. He was up and alert, walking around and Giselle's voice in the background when he would walk up to far. He barked a couple of times, though she got him to calm down a bit and he happily walked over to her and stayed nearby.

"I see. Judging by that smile, it's a someone that's your reason." My friends says.

Turning my attention back up to him, I clear my throat. "It's...I don't know what the hell I'm doing. She's the first person since, you know. It's been a while and a part of me is wanting to be very cautious about it."

"Wait, is that the reason you're going away this weekend?" He asks. "You're taking her somewhere?"

"Just for the weekend. I wanted to travel and take her somewhere that I thought she might like and enjoy. Like an adventure or something." I say, not really knowing how to explain it.

"Is this the same girl that you met that night, a couple of weeks ago?" He asks. "The one that you saw with that Tim Haggin guy? He made headlines because multiple people saw him putting his hands on her like he was going to hit her."

I finish responding to an email before answering, though memories of that night invaded my mind again. How could I forget that? "Yeah, that's the one. Blue eyes, dark hair, curves that make any man look."

"You must really like her." Seth mumbles.

"I don't know when it happened, but it happened. I wasn't planning on liking her when I first saw her. But when I did, something clicked. Something like I've never felt before with anybody else. It's been a while since I've felt like that with anybody and it's making me want more." I say.

"But you're taking it slow." He says, in a matter-of-fact tone. "The Roman I know, would have tried something up his sleeve with her, by now. You haven't done anything with her yet, have you?"

"I've taken her out on a date." I reply, looking over at him. "I've spent some time with her and we talk a lot. Gone over to her place a couple of times."

I could feel Seth's eyes on me, but I ignore it to keep up with my work, which I'm almost done with. Another hour at least, and I'll be completely done and free for the weekend. Looking at the time, I could pick Giselle up early and we could get on our way.

"Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt again." He softly says, and I finally look over at him.

"I know." I quietly say. "I appreciate it."

We talk for about ten more minutes before he goes back to his office and I finish up what I have left of my work and things that I had to finish looking over and approving before leaving for the day. There were times where I would finish early enough to leave, but those days were so rare, people here were surprised when it actually happened. About 45 minutes later, I was gathering my things and getting ready to go when I texted Giselle asking where she was. She texted back a couple of minutes later saying that she was home now and was finishing up a few things. I made a phone call to see when things would be ready and replied back to her, telling her to be ready to be ready within an hour and a half and that I would pick her up. Giselle still wanted to know where we were going and I still wanted to keep it a surprise. I just hoped that she would like it enough to not be mad that I didn't ask if she would be okay with going out of state. Then again, we went to New Jersey for our first date. And then again, it's not New Jersey we're going to this time around.

I let Seth know that I was leaving and because I had to go straight to a business trip afterwards, I wouldn't see him for about a week. He agreed to let me know if anything happens around here while I was gone and I made a detour to the barber shop and then I went to the gym and went straight home to take a shower. Luckily I packed everything last night and because I couldn't sleep to well, I finished up this morning before heading out to work. Making sure everything was good, I looked at my watch after getting dressed and knew I had to start making my way over to Giselle's.

Thirty-five minutes later, my driver pulled up to her building, and I thanked him before going up to her apartment. Hearing Jackson barking after I knock, Giselle opens the door a few moments later and my eyes linger on her when she does. Wearing a plain white shirt with jeans and black boots that reach her ankles, she still looked beautiful. Her long hair was straightened out and her nails had red nail polish on them, She didn't have on any makeup, though she didn't always wear it, but she was still gorgeous, even without it.

"Hey." She says with a smile as she lets me in.

"Hey." I say as I walk in and see Jackson walk up to me.

I rub his back and notice her suitcase and a smaller bag next to it. Turning my attention back to her, Giselle looks on with curiosity. My eyes linger on her again and I notice her face turn a light shade of pink when she notices and I want to smile. It's as if she wasn't used to having a lot of attention on her.

"Are you ready?" I ask.

"Yes." She says. "I thought you'd be here later though, since you had to work."

I shrug. "I thought so, too, but I've made sure to finish up what I had so that I can have this weekend free."

"Are you sure it's okay that Jackson comes along?" She says, concerned. "He's not a service dog for a lot of places to let him in."

"It's okay, I got it figured out." I tell her, reassuring her that he'll be okay. "We should get going to the airport."

Her eyes widened and her jaw slightly dropped. "Where are you taking me that it involves a plane? I have a feeling we're not staying anywhere near New York."

"I'll let you know, but we really should be going, now. We're staying in the States, so you don't have to worry about leaving the country." I told her.

She put a small pout when she looked away and made sure she got everything before grabbing her bag. I gently took her bag and the one she had for Jackson, so all she had to worry about was him. Giselle sweetly thanked me and hooked on the leash to his collar before making sure one last time she had everything. Finding Mr. Kelani parked a few up from where he dropped me off, he helped get her bags into the trunk of the SUV while I opened the door for her and Jackson. He jumped in and got in the row behind us when Giselle went in. On our way to the airport, we talked about our day and talked about some places that we've been able to travel to. Most of them, for me, have been for work related reasons, even the international ones. Giselle has a passport, and has gone as far out as the Caribbean, and a few places here in the States and I let her know that I would be away for about a week on a business trip.

"What is this?" Giselle says when we get to the tarmac at the airport. "Roman."

I help her and Jackson get out of the car and help Mr. Kelani get our bags out of the car. I walk up to two men who were standing a few feet away from the stairs that was attached to the Jet and thanked them for grabbing our things. Giselle walked up to me with her hand secured on Jackson's leash to keep him from running around the open area.

"Is this yours?" She asks, looking at the large Jet, that was spotless.

"Yes, it is." I reply, honestly. " I've had it for a few years now. Have you ever been to New Orleans?"

She looks over at before shaking her head. "Is that where we're going?"

"Yeah. I figured it would be a chance to get away from New York, even if it was just for the weekend and I remember you saying one day that you've always wanted to go but that, for some reasons, you've never gone." I tell her. "So I thought it'd be nice to try to take you and Jackson. Has he ever been on a plane before?"

"When he was still little." She says. "But not for a while. I always think they'll say no to him because of his size. Are we really going to New Orleans?"

I nod as the Captain and the co-pilot walk out of the plane and down the stairs, along with the flight attendants. They all have years of experience and I introduce them to Giselle and her little buddy. We spend a few minutes talking and when they go up, I look over at the woman standing beside me and see her hesitate.

"What's wrong?" I ask, walking up to her and wondering if this was a good idea.

Giselle shakes her head. "Nobody's ever done this for me before."

"Do what?" I ask, brushing her jaw with my thumb.

"This." She quietly says, as her eyes look up into mine and I see the doubt in her eyes. "Go above and beyond to take me somewhere, whether I've been there or not. Why me? What's so special about me?"

I cradle her face in my hands. "Everything. Do you want to go?" If you don't want to, it's okay. I'll let them know it won't happen today."

"But we're already here and ready to go. I don't want them to have wasted their time." She says, looking at the plane. "And I really want to go to New Orleans."

Chuckling, I kiss her forehead. "Do you trust me?"

"Can they get us there and back in one piece?" She asks.

"Of course." I say with a smile. "And yes, they're okay with dogs."

Giselle signals for Jackson to start going up the stairs, though she kept a hold on his leash and quickly followed behind him. I walk up behind them and notice the way her jeans hug her legs and her behind. I keep myself from letting out a groan at how good her legs looked. Getting inside, there were a few seats on each side, with enough space in between for a small table. There was a small bathroom on one end and the cabinet where the pilots would be, up in the front. There was a small space where there was drinks, snacks and food. There was a bed big enough for Jackson to lay down on and two bowls for food and water for him with a small pack of food that I had made sure they had here for him to eat. Giselle noticed as she sat down and she repeatedly thanked me for everything.

"I'll find a way to pay you back for all of this, really." She insists.

"Baby, stop." I say, resting a hand on each of the arm rests on her seat. "You don't have to pay me back. I'm not an asshole who'll expect you to pay back any of this. If you haven't noticed yet, I can be a good guy."

Her soft hands rest on my forearms as those blue eyes of hers look up at me. She reaches up our noses touch before we heard someone ask if we were ready for takeoff so that we can buckle up, interrupting the moment we had, where I just wanted to kiss her. I press a kiss to her forehead instead and take a seat across from her while she quickly tries to get Jackson to settle in. Once she did, we were on our way and in the air. Not to long after we took off, one of the flight attendants came and offered us some snacks and asked if wanted anything to drink. Jackson barked a couple of times at her when she got close to Giselle.

"Jackson, what's the matter?" She asked, quickly apologizing to the woman. The woman simply smiled and said it was okay before going to get what we asked for. "I'm really sorry. He tends to be protective of me."

"Hey, I have no complaints about that. At least he's protecting you, right buddy?" I ask him.

He looks over at me before getting up and walking over to Giselle, laying down by her feet. He looked content and I saw Giselle relax into her seat, with her dog by her side. I could tell there was something on her mind as she looked out the window.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked.

She looked over at me and gave me a small smile as she shakes her head and looks out the window again. I couldn't take my eyes off of her and yet, I didn't want to. I wanted to know everything that there is to know about her. There's a ways that I can do that without having to wait for her to tell me, but I didn't want to do that. I wanted to learn from her, everything that there is to know. Getting up, she looks over at me and watches as I make my way over to the seat next to her. The large dog at her feet, picks up his head and is at alert when he sees me make my way to her. Careful to not hit him with my feet, I sit down and see her smile at me.

"I thought we could talk easier like this." I say.

"About what?" She asks.

I shrug. "Anything. But, I guess what I'm trying to figure out, is why you have doubts when I compliment you, or do something you might consider nice."

"I honestly don't know." Giselle quietly says. "I guess it's because, this is something that I'm not used to. My sister was the one who got all of the attention from the guys, and she had better luck with relationships than I did. The guys that did pay attention to me, never did any of this for me. Taking me out on weekend long dates, and just everything that you've done for me so far. I don't know how to repay you, but I'll find a way. I'll pay you back what I can with the money."

"No, you're not." I say.

"What do you mean? Do you think I'm the type of person who won't?" She asks, looking over at me.

I face her. "No. What I mean is that you don't have to pay me back. I'm doing this because I want to. Not because I'm expecting anybody to pay me back for this, so don't worry about it. I don't want you to pay me back, Giselle. I just want you to enjoy this. With me."

"But, I don't want you to think that I want you because of all of this." She replies in a small voice. "That's not why I'm here. I'm here for you."

"Is that what you feel like I would think?" I ask.

She shrugs and looks down at her lap. "I don't know. Haven't you thought that before with other people? I may not be rich, financially, but I'm rich in that I have some really good friends, a roof over my head, and a bed to sleep in at night. I have a good job that I really like, and I have my precious Jackson, right buddy?"

"I don't have any doubts about your intentions with me." I say. "If only you can see how beautiful your heart is."

Giselle looks up at me and its as if she's studying my face. Eventually kissing my cheek, she rests her head on my shoulder and snuggles closer to me before curling up in her chair and getting more comfortable. She's so used to getting the opposite of what I'm giving her, that she doubts what I do. But I want to change that.

"You're comfy." Giselle says, before looking up at me.

I chuckle and wrap an arm around her to keep her close to me. It felt right, being like this with her. It was like she was made to fit against my body. To fit in my arms. One of the flight attendants came out from the back and smiled as he nodded, while Giselle slept. I knew it was his way of saying that he liked her so far just from the little bit of interaction he's had with her on the flight. Jackson got up and walked around a little bit, eventually making his way to where the flight attendants were. They all said greeted him and tried to pet him, but he eventually made his way back to where Giselle and I were sitting before going to his bowl and drinking some water. The large dog walked around again, wanting to get into things, and climbing his large frame onto a seat before I heard her voice.

"Jackson, get down." Says Giselle in a soft voice. He looks over at her and barks.

"We're almost there, buddy." I say. "You'll be able to play around once we're there."

He barks a couple of more times before getting down. He wags his tail and sits down nearby, yawning. We landed about thirty minutes later and we got our things together to meet the Louisiana air. I was going to show Giselle what other guys have seemed to have neglected ever giving her. It seems like the only guy that's ever been a constant positive figure in her life has been her brother and they lived miles and miles apart. Hopefully, by the end of this weekend, I could ease at least some of her doubts.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Thank you for the reviews, it truly means a lot to me!_**

 ** _DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K., or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only._**

 ** _GISELLE_**

I look out the window as we make our way, further into New Orleans. We pass by some historic landmarks on our way to the French Quarter and my excitement kept rising as we did. I've never been here before and the man sitting beside me had made it possible for me right now to be here. I never had a guy care enough to take me somewhere I've never been, let alone, do something like this for me. The only good guy in my life who had been constant, had been my brother and we lived in completely different states. Looking over at Roman, I watched as he looked out the window at the scenery, as we passed by. He seemed relax and as if he's done this before. My doubts would sometimes get the best of me, and it's happened a couple of times so far. I hate when it happens, but when it does, it starts going and I sometimes can't stop it. When he looks over at me, he shows me his devastatingly handsome smile and a wink before asking if I was okay. I told him I was and went back to enjoying the view. I couldn't help but think about how I wanted to be the only one he did things like this for. The car stopped in front of a building red building and I looked around to see the driver get out and open my door. I looked over at Roman who nodded to signal that it was okay.

"Come, Jackson." I say, once I get out of the car.

He happily jumps out of the car and barks a couple of times at the driver who was still holding the door open, giving me a chance to grab his leash. Roman follows and stands beside me, resting his hand on the small of my back while our luggage gets taken out of the trunk. The warmth from his large, strong hand sends shivers up my spine, while giving me comfort at the same time. I don't realize that I move closer to him, until he wraps his arm around my waist. Looking up at him again, which I feel I've been doing a lot of that lately, his eyes meet mine and I get lost in them.

A woman walks out of the building in slacks and a white shirt, with heels. Her blonde hair was up in a bun and her green eyes stood out with the makeup that she wore. She smiled at us, more at Roman than at me, and greeted us.

"My name is Leigh-Anne and I would like to welcome you to The French Quarter hotel. If you'd come with me, I'll get you two set up in your rooms." The woman says in a Southern accent.

Roman grunts and grabs our bags, before following me into the building. Inside, there was a burgundy carpet with hints of gold flickers on it. Pictures of Jazz greats and different parishes of New Orleans cover the walls in the lobby. Along with the lighting and the smell, it was warm and inviting. We follow the woman to the front desk and she smiles at us.

"Do you already have a reservation with us or would you like to make one?" She asks.

"We already have one under Reigns." Roman responds.

She types something in and looks until she finds what she's looking for. She confirms the days that we would be here and goes over the rates and the amount that it would come out to. She then asked for a credit card that the bill will be charged on and some other information before giving us the keys to the room and letting us know what floor it was on, as well as where the vending machines and ice machines were located. We made our way to the elevator, and got in, with Jackson keeping close to me. I rub his back and he looks up at me with his big brown eyes. Once the elevator got on our floor and opened up, I didn't realize the gasp that I let out. The doors opened up to a small lobby like area that led to the rest of the floor.

"This is amazing. Are we sharing it with other people, though?" I asked, seeing how big it was.

"Nope. Just for us." He replies from behind.

I turned around and looked at him. "Seriously? This whole floor is ours?"

"Yeah, for the entire weekend." Roman says. "Unless you want your own separate room, we'll work something out."

"No, absolutely not." I say, quickly walking to where it opens up to the rest of the floor.

There was a small area with a sink and a microwave and a fridge, as well as a living room with a flat screen television. A small balcony looking over Bourbon Street, with two cushioned chairs and a small table with the type of umbrella that you use for shade on a sunny day. Two bedrooms, each with it's own large bathroom, a large bed with a canopy and drapes with light coming in from the windows and a small balcony in one of the rooms.

"This is perfect." I whisper.

"Yes it is." I hear, behind me.

Looking back, I see Roman leaning against the door frame, watching me. The look in his eyes told me he wasn't entirely talking about the room. Warmth filled my cheeks and I turned my attention elsewhere.

"So we're staying in separate bedrooms." I ask, though it came out as more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with sharing a bedroom so I thought this would be okay." Roman answers. "That way, you and Jackson can still have your own space and you can have your own bed."

I turned around to look at him again as he walks up to me. "I don't know what to say. This place is amazing. Beautiful."

"We haven't even gone out yet." He says with a smile.

"That's okay. I know you'll make sure it is." I reply.

Something passed in his eyes, and I didn't know what it was, but whatever that was, put a happy smile on his face and in that moment, I knew it was a smile that I wanted to keep on his face. "I can already tell you want the room with the balcony, don't you?"

I giggled. "Yes. Unless you want it."

"No, you can have it. Besides, there's always the balcony in the living room." Roman says, looking at his watch. "I'll let you get settled in. We'll go out in a bit for dinner, so I'll let you rest a bit before we go."

His eyes linger on me and a hint of a smile shows on his lips before he leaves. About two hours later, I had taken Jackson out for a walk and made sure he had eaten something before taking a shower and getting ready to go out for dinner. I was applying the finishing touches to my hair when I heard a knock on the door and a deep voice greeting Jackson. Turning around, I see Roman dressed in a black, short sleeve shirt with dark blue jeans and white sneakers with his hair slicked back into a neat bun. He looks over at me and smiles as he does. Blue jeans with a burgundy sweater, that falls off the shoulders and black heels. My hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and light makeup.

"I hope this is okay for dinner." I say, looking in the mirror at how I looked and how it showed my curves.

"It's perfect." He says, walking up to me and standing behind him.

Seeing his reflection in the mirror, I can't help but see how handsome he is up close and I catch the hint of his cologne. Roman rests his hands on my waist and steps closer to me, and I meet his eyes in the mirror and watch as his eyes linger on every part of me, as if studying everything that he sees. As if I was something precious. As if I was art. It made me feel vulnerable, just by the way he looked at me.

"You look beautiful." He says in my ear, and my cheeks grow warm. "You always do."

"Thank you." I softly say, turning around to face him.

My eyes locked in on his lips and I wanted to feel them on mine. It wasn't until a moment later that I noticed him doing the same thing. His jaw ticked before he let out a deep breath and we agreed it was time to go. We grabbed our things and Jackson before leaving the room. We walk out of the hotel and our hands automatically hold on to each other, and we intertwine our fingers as we make our way further into Bourbon Street. Roman offers to take Jackson's leash and when the dog goes without fuss, relax a little more. The streets were filled with music, large crowds, lights, beads and balconies. A night life of its own that captivated me and made me just want more of it and see why people loved it here so much.

"This place is amazing." I say, taking in as much as I possibly could, like a child seeing something for the first time. "How often do you come here?"

"I come around at least twice a year, but it's almost always been for business." Roman says. "There have been a few times where I've been able to stop by and enjoy the area."

"Do you bring anybody with you when you come?" I ask, looking over at him.

Roman shakes his head when he looks at me. "Friends, and family because I remember this one time when I came with my mom and my sisters. Other than that, no."

We arrive at one of New Orleans' oldest and most popular restaurant. It was founded in 1905, specializes in French Creole cuisine and is the Quarter's hot spot for upscale lunch on Fridays and dinner any night of the week. Roman opens the door and lets me go in first before following me inside with Jackson. The inside was well lit with lively music was playing in the background. We were taken to a booth that was in a private area of the restaurant and the waiter seemed to know Roman as he seemed to be paying extra attention after his name was given when asked for reservations.

"Can we start you off to some wine, this evening?" The man asked.

Roman looked over at me and I nodded. "Is there a specific one you like?"

"I love red wine, but you can surprise me." I reply. "As long as it's red wine."

His eyes spark and he smiles before looking up at the waiter. "Can we get your best red wine?"

"Yes, sir." The man replies, before leaving us with the menus.

As I look at the menu, my mouth waters with what I see. When the waiter returns with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, he shows Roman and when he nods, he opens it up and pours some into our glasses. I tasted it and I sighed happily and closed my eyes when I did, savoring the taste. When I open my eyes, I see Roman looking on with a smile on his face, before letting the waiter know we'll keep it and thanking him. All while keeping his eyes on me. When he started taking our orders, he started us with the appetizers and Roman and I order the Souffle Potatoes. I then ordered the Chicken Clemenceau which was a half roasted chicken with brabant potato peas, garlic, and mushrooms, though I asked for no mushrooms. Roman asked for the Chicken Creole which was half roasted chicken, stewed tomatoes, creole seasoning, and steamed rice. He collected our menu's and left. I looked around and saw the elegance that the restaurant had while keeping a modern look to it. It almost reminded me of how a mansion might look like in the old days in the South.

"I take it you've been here before?" I ask, resting my chin on my hand.

"A couple of times. Mainly for lunch." He says. "What do you think so far, though?"

I looked around once more, taking everything in. "So far, it's pretty amazing. I would always hear stories from people who have been here and I would see these shows on t.v that take place here, and I would always say how much I wanted to go. For some reason, I just never got around to coming here and you were able to do that for me. Even if it's just for a weekend. Thank you for that. For all of this. I don't know how else to thank you and I've probably said it a whole bunch of times already since we got here, but I mean it, Roman. It means a lot to me."

"Anytime." Roman says. "Especially if it makes this happy."

"I like traveling." I say. "I like going to different places, even if it's just once and I'm happy to be here."

We continued talking about different topics, and learning more about each other than I've ever learned about any man. I can't count how many times Roman made me smile and laugh, and at times, so hard that tears literally came out and I tried to stop because I couldn't breath. Once we were done, we continued walking around until we found a Jazz club and made our way in. The building is almost 200 years old and live performances were given every night of the week. We weren't there long before we made our way back out and onto the lively streets. We found a bench nearby and sat down, people watching.

"So what is a man like you doing single?" I asked. "You're a really good guy, and you're attractive and very successful. I'm sure you have a lot of women who try to shoot their shot, as some people would say these days."

Roman shrugs and looks over at Jackson who was sitting down, but looking at everything that passed by. "There was someone, but it's been three years since we broke up. We met in college and we started dating. After my first round with leukemia, our relationship became on and off. It was like that for a while, before we became more serious again."

"So what happened?" I asked.

"One day, I found out that she was dating somebody else." He says. "It started off as her being with him every time we were off, and then it went into being with him even when we got back together. She apologized for it but said that she was falling out of love with me and he gave her something different. Something more stable that he had given her when her and I weren't together and she liked it. Said that I wasn't giving her enough attention and I couldn't blame her. I was so busy trying to make my empire better. Make it grow. Maybe I really wasn't giving her the attention that she needed. Maybe I wasn't enough for her anymore. I don't know. Long story short, we broke up for good and I just drove myself into work."

"You haven't dated anybody since?" I say, resting my hands on his arm.

He rested his hand on my thigh, making my heart flutter while keeping his other hand on Jackson's leash. "I did but then I stopped. I couldn't go without ever thinking about if the person would end up leaving me. I always wondered if my career and it's demands would prove to be too much for them to handle. There's going to be times where I have to go on business trips and there have been times where it's kept me away for three weeks before I was able to get back home. Who's to say that it won't happen again? Who's to say that those trips won't take me back overseas, like it has before? Can they handle the long hours that I may sometimes have to put in? The workload and demands that come with what I do? But then I see you that night and just your presence alone, it just did something to me. It still does. I don't know how to explain it, but something inside me just clicks with you and things seem to make sense. I will work my ass off all week if it means I get to spend some time with you on the weekends. If it means that I can get that smile on your face every time we're together and hear that laugh every time we talk. I want to see where it goes with you, but I won't force this on you."

"You're not forcing it on me." I softly say. "You've been doing a pretty great job so far. Especially if you have intentions of spoiling me like this trip probably will, then I think we're on the right track."

Roman laughs softly. "You're definitely going to get spoiled if we keep in this direction. But at least you'll be mine to spoil. You deserve good things, Giselle. Great things."

He leans in but when Jackson barks at a dog that passes by, pulling us back apart. We get him to stop barking and decide to start making our way back to the hotel. We hold hands the rest of the way, until we grab some ice cream as we share a comfortable silence. Making our way back to our room, we took the leash off of Jackson and let him walk around after he drank some water. I go to my bedroom where I wash my face and change into some pajamas before trying on a plush, white robe that I had found in the bathroom. When I go look for Roman, I find him walking out of his bedroom in just his sweatpants, with his hair out. I stop in my tracks and couldn't help but take in the sight in front of me. The man was built like a Greek God with his abs and his strong chest. The tattoo on his chest and went down his large arm.

"This robe is really comfortable. And warm." I say, now trying to keep my mind on something else.

"Do you want one when we get back to New York?" He asks with a smile.

I wrap my arms around myself and shrug. "Maybe. It feels like it'll keep me warm when it's cold. Let's go to the balcony."

Going back to room, I open the doors to the balcony and step outside, resting my hands on the railing. I feel Roman's presence behind me even though he doesn't make a sound or say a word. I can feel the warmth that radiates from his body and the safety that wraps around me with him there. I see his arms on each side of me as his large hands rest near mine.

"Is this how you try to win every girl's heart?" I playfully asked.

"Nope." Roman replies as he smiles against my cheek. "Seriously though, it's not. But it doesn't mean that I'm not trying."

I let out a sigh and lean back against him, as he automatically wraps a strong arm around my waist, keeping my back close to his chest. I asked him about his tattoo and what it meant to him. I got a beautiful story about his Samoan heritage and how family was one of the most important things, especially to him. I tell him about my Puerto Rican heritage and how I've been to my island a couple times over the last few years and some of the places that I like to visit when I get the chance to go.

"So you know Spanish?" Roman asks as we're facing each other.

"I can understand it, and speak it perfectly." I say. "I can write in Spanish too, it's just my spelling that may be a little off. My mom, before she left us, she taught us Spanish, and after she left, we just kept up with it. Do you know how to speak Samoan?"

"I know a little here and there, it's not perfect." Roman replies. "I know a lot of the basics and some phrases. Nothing fancy. But it's good to know more than one language, especially now a days where there's jobs that require you to know another language or if it's a job where you get clients that know another language. It's good."

We hear a crows of people passing by, getting out attention and we then wondered what time it was. Going back inside the room, we see that it's almost three in the morning and the sun would be coming up in a couple of hours.

"We should get some sleep." Roman suggested. "We're going for breakfast in a couple of hours and I want you to have some energy for whatever we do tomorrow."

"Okay, try to some get some sleep yourself." I say, taking off my robe and placing it neatly on a chair.

I saw his eyes linger on my legs before they make their way up the rest of my body. "I will."

We walk to the door and I see him smile when he looks at me. "Goodnight, Roman."

"Goodnight, Giselle." He says before walking away.

I close my door and smile to myself before getting into bed and quickly falling asleep. I looked forward to what the day would bring.


	8. Chapter 8

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K., or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**_

 _ **ROMAN**_

I had gone out on a quick run early this morning, and had Jackson with me since he was up and ready to go out for his walk. I offered to take him so that Giselle could get some more rest and I was bringing some breakfast with me for us on my way back. When I got back to our hotel room, I hear the television on and call out her name as I take Jackson's leash off. She appears in her robe that she consider to be very comfortable and he quickly walks over to her where she greets him with a warm smile before she makes her way over to me. Giselle gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, though we keep our arms around each other a little longer than we had probably planned to.

"Hi." She says in that sweet voice of hers and I pulled her closer to me, taking in her scent and realizing she had already taken a shower while I was out. "How was your run? Was Jackson good?"

"It went good and he was great." I breathed out. "I got us some breakfast on our way back. I'll just take a quick shower before I eat."

She nodded and gently took the bag of food, before I reluctantly let her go. A light shade of pink covered her cheeks and I just wanted to hold her again. But I got myself together and quickly went to my room to take a shower. Almost 20 minutes later, I'm coming out of my room and I see Giselle on the balcony of the living room with Jackson. The large dog is content as he always, sitting beside her as she looks out. When she turns her head and looks over her shoulder, she gives me the sweetest smile I've ever seen her give me, and some of that control that I've been trying to keep on myself, broke. The sight of that was something I wanted to see for a long time. She came inside with Jackson following closely behind and while he went to eat what was in his bowl, Giselle and I sat at the table that was by the kitchen and ate our breakfast that was enough to keep us full for a couple of hours, which was fine. We had a couple of things that we were going to do today and I wanted her to have the energy to be able to do it.

"So you're leaving on Monday for your business trip?" She softly asks.

"Yeah, I am." I reply, not wanting to leave her now. "It'll only be for a week and I'll be over in California."

I look over at Giselle who rests her chin in her hand. "As long as I'm the only female on your mind."

"You don't have to worry about that." I say, signaling for her to come over to me.

When she does, I pull her to my lap and she gasps in surprise at the sudden act. Giselle relaxes and wraps her arms around my neck. She smelled like a mixture of strawberries, and vanilla with a hint of lavender and it was quickly my favorite scent from her. I look all over her face, as if trying to remember every part of her face.

"In my head, you're already mine." I tell her.

"There should be more good guys like you in the world." She quietly says. "But then, I don't know if I'd have you if there were."

Securing her on my lap, I cup her face with my hands and just when I was about kiss her, Jackson barks, causing us to pull apart. I look over at the large dog and hear Giselle laugh.

"You're killing me here, Jackson." I mumble, as he goes to drink some water, hearing Giselle's giggles.

Giselle leans down and kisses down my jaw, causing me to lose focus on the dog and pay attention to her. I pull her closer to me and groans when she stops.

"Should we start getting ready to go out?" She asks.

"Yeah, unless you want to stay here all day, and I make sure there's no interruptions. That's perfectly fine with me, too." I say without thinking.

Giselle's blue eyes look at me and her face turns red. Though she can exude confidence and that sultry side of her with the way she moves her body and the way she shows it off, I sometimes forget that she's not used to the attention I give her and the things I do for her. But she will get used to it. I plan on it. Sometime after breakfast, we go out to Oak Alley Plantation for a tour which gives you a tour of one of the most famous and photographed plantations in the South. You get to tour the mansion and gardens with a guide and learn about the history of its former inhabitants, including slaves. I can't forget the look on Giselle's face as we passed by a canopy of oak trees, that looked like they had been there for hundreds of years, on our way to the mansion or the look on her face when we toured the garden and how could I forget how eager she was, taking in the history of it all.

"Does this have to be over?" She asks after dinner. "I love it here. I have to try to come back, there's so many other things I still want to do here."

"You can definitely come back here. You don't have to wait for anyone to come, you know." I say.

Giselle grabs on to my hand and rests her free hand on my arm. "I know. It just looks like it'll be more fun with someone here with me."

I already started planning on where else I can take her and when I can bring her back here. But I didn't her to think that trips and gifts were how I was trying to win her affection, because it wasn't. I just genuinely liked her and saw her as this ray of light that lit up a room when she was in it. She was smart and confident and it was sexy and a turn on. Then this beautiful heart and soul that she has, that made you want to bury yourself in her and her presence. There was a man playing a trumpet and the case for it was open and in front of him. We stopped for a bit to hear him and I wrapped an arm around Giselle when she leans into me. I feel her light hand through my sweater as she rests it on my chest, the warmth of her touching seeping through to my skin. I looked down at her and see her enjoying the music that the man was playing and meanwhile I was enjoying her. Every minute of the day that I spent with her. I was in trouble the moment I met her, but I haven't been able to get myself away from her. I always go back to her when I do.

Gently placing a finger under her chin, I get her to look up at me. When she does, I cup her face with my hands and our lips meet as if they were meant to do that. But when it did, it felt perfect. My arms wrap around her waist and I pull her closer to me, not letting go of her lips. Slightly pulling away, we caught our breath before going back for another kiss. Reluctantly pulling away, she reaches up to touch my nose with hers and tracing my lips with her fingers before going in with one last kiss.

"At least Jackson didn't interrupt this time." I mumble and Giselle breaks out in a laugh, getting the attention of some of the people in the crowd.

After a few one more kiss, we took our time going back to the hotel. Tomorrow would be the last full day we spend together before I go on my trip and I still wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself as much as she could before I leave.

 ** _GISELLE_**

I was at home on a Sunday, and tomorrow would make a week since Roman left on his trip. Even though we talked every day and managed to FaceTime several times, I still missed him. Though I spent the weekend cleaning and doing laundry, along with some other errands, I still found time to hang out with Jenny, and we made our way to the mall and the movies. About an hour after I get back to my place, I get a knock on the door and I look at the time. It was only 5:30 and I wasn't expecting anybody to come by. Jenny had plans with her boyfriend and so I was expecting to spend the night at home, catching up on some shows. Opening the door, I catch my breath seeing him on the other side with flowers and a box in one hand and his suitcase in his other hand with a smile on his tired face that now had a beard, with his hair up in a bun.

"Roman." I say, jumping into his arms, the moment he walks in.

"Giselle." He rumbles in my ear, his arms wrapping around my waist and keeping me as close to him as he physically could.

I reluctantly pull away, though I stayed in his arms, happy to be in them again. "You're back. I thought you wouldn't make it in until later tonight, or maybe tomorrow."

"I thought I would as well, but everything was finished earlier than I though and so I booked the first flight I could which was for early this morning and as you can see, I came straight here." He says, reminding me of the flowers that were in his hand.

Giving him a kiss, I eventually pull away and put the flowers in some water after thanking him. Turning my attention back to him, I see him with Jackson and I smile at their interaction. He still sticks close by to me before anyone else, but he's warmed up to Roman. He offers me the box that he had and I look up at him curiously. Roman simply smiles and suggests I open it. Opening it up, I push the papers out of the way to reveal something white and fluffy. Taking it out, I see that it's a robe similar to the one I always wore in New Orleans. Looking up at him, he took it and opened it, to help me put it on. Closing it around me, I wanted to snuggle in it with how warm and cozy it felt.

"You really got me one?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I remembered how much you liked the ones we had in New Orleans, and so I wanted to get you one." He replies.

Walking up to him,my lips meet his for a kiss and I feel his arms wrap around me when we kiss. Pulling away, I rest my hands on his face.

"Stay for dinner." I softly say, still in his arms.

"I thought you'd never offer." He says, and I let out a quiet laugh, kissing him again.

He reluctantly pulls away and presses his lips to my forehead. We talk for a few minutes before he leaves, to go his place.

"I'll make sure my place is okay and I'll take a shower before coming back." He says.

"Don't you have people for that?" I ask, trying to get Jackson away from his suitcase.

"Yes, but I like to also make sure for myself that everything is as it should be." Roman replies. "Besides, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place this weekend. It's only right that my girlfriend comes over, especially since I'm almost always here."

Smiling, I say. "That's a good idea. I think it's time I see your place."

A moment later and he's getting his suitcase to go. He lets me know around what time he'll be back and says bye to Jackson before leaving. I wait until he gets in the elevator before going back into my apartment. It's the beginning of our relationship, and I didn't want to rush things, but it's been a while since I've been in one and it's been a while since I've had a guy treat me as good as Roman does. Thinking back on all of it, I don't think any guy has ever treated me as good as him, other than my brother. Always making sure I'm okay. Making sure I get home safe and giving me attention despite how busy he is. Kind. Sweet. Caring. Funny. I wonder what I did so right to have him.


	9. Chapter 9

**_DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K., or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only._**

 ** _A/N: I know it's been a while since the last update, and I'm really sorry to everyone who's been keeping up with the story. There's been some things that I've been having to take care of, so I'm hoping you all enjoy this chapter!_**

 ** _GISELLE_**

It's been airy two months now since Roman and I started dating and it's been the complete opposite of what I've been used to. As independent as I love to be, he always wants to make sure I'm okay, and taken care of.

"Hey, GG." Said Elijah as I was getting my things to go on lunch.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask when I look up at him.

Elijah thinks for a moment and takes his arms from behind his back, to show me a bracelet that he made. I always remembered that he would sometimes make these little things and give them out. It was his way of making some extra money on the side and it was something he enjoyed, though he would always give me something at no charge, no matter how much I insisted on giving him something.

"Thank you, it's pretty." I say, looking at it, when I take it in my hands.

"No problem. You know you're my favorite person to give these too." He says and I look at him with a soft smile. "I know, you're dating that guy, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to give you something."

I let out a soft breath and smoke. "I don't know what to say."

"No, I just wanted to say that he's a lucky guy." Elijah says. "Any guy dating you would be. Just be careful."

I look up at him, curiously and wonder if there's something going on that I can't see. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Nothing at all." He quickly says. "Just, don't you think it's something to think about that you're dating him and all of a sudden that Tim guy is no longer bothering you?"

"I thought you'd be happy that he isn't bothering me anymore." I say. "Do you know of the things he's done to other women? Who knows what he could have done with me."

Not wanting to think of how bad it could've gone, I try to think about something else. Though Elijah continues.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Giselle. I just wanted you to think about some things as far as this guy goes." He says. "All of a sudden Tim Haggin is no longer around when he seemed to always want to make sure you were right by his side. You start spending time with Roman Reigns, one of the richest men around with more power and connections than all of us here put together and one would think Tim Haggin would never want to leave you out of his sight, so that he can get close to him. But he just leaves you alone after that night when he almost hit you."

"Elijah, I appreciate your concern and wanting me to be safe, if that's what this is." I say to him. "But don't cross the line, trying to do all of this."

Before he could say anything else, I walked away and into the break room. It made me think though about what he was saying. Come to think about it, I haven't seen or heard from Tim Haggin since that night at the party. As far as I know, he hasn't tried to get in contact with me, and sometimes I just assumed that was because maybe he was told something by Roman when I wasn't around and he hasn't told me, or the McMahons that I don't know about. Maybe even the cops. Roman did say he would get taken care of and for me to not worry about it. Curiosity is making me want to find out what happened, while my feelings for Roman are making me want to make sure he didn't do anything to put himself into trouble.

Later in the day, I get to where Roman works and make my way up to his floor. When I get to the front desk, I greet Ali and look towards his office where I see him talking to someone who's back was facing me. Roman had his suit jacket off, and had on a crisp white button down shirt on with the sleeves rolled up, showing his forearms. His hair pulled back into a neat bun and a beard that was growing out. Looking up, his eyes stopped when he saw me and my breath almost caught at the way his eyes and his face lit up when he saw me. The way he smiled that smile of his that I only seem to notice when it's directed at me. The man he was talking to looked back and gave a gentle smile when he saw me, before turning his attention back to Roman. About ten minutes later, they're both walking out of his office and he signals for me to walk over to him.

"Seth, this is my girlfriend, Giselle." Roman says, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Giselle, this is Seth. He's a business partner of mine and we've been working together for a couple of years now. Really good friend of mine as well. Like a brother."

"Nice to meet you." The man says with a friendly smile as he shakes my hand. "So you're the woman he's been talking about. I see why, he can't stop talking about you. Feel like I know you already."

I let out a soft laugh and feel Roman pull me close. "All good stuff I hope."

He kisses my forehead, before saying something to Seth and how they'll meet up again in the morning. After he leaves, I follow Roman into his office and after the glass closes up, I quickly bury myself in his arms, and take in his scent.

"How was your day?" He softly asks, not letting me go.

"Long. Yours?" I ask, wondering if I should even mention the whole Elijah thing. It's been on my mind all day, and I can't help but want to know.

"Long. Busy day, but I'm happy to be able to see you." He says, pulling back to look at me. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

I blink a few times wondering how he even knows that I have something on my mind. Then again, you don't get as far as he has without having ever payed attention to detail.

"Whatever happened to Tim Haggin?" I suddenly ask.

"Did you see him?" He asks, not giving anything away.

"No, I haven't seen him since the party that night you and I met." I reply. "You told me he would get taken care of, but you never said whatever happened to him. I heard his name today and it got me thinking again about what could have happened to him."

Roman lets out a sigh and leans against his desk. "I told you not to worry about it, Giselle."

"Why not? That guy made my life a living hell for like a month." I say. "Don't you think I should at least know what happened to him? I'm not trying to get in trouble for something happening to him and I was one of the last people he was seen with."

"Baby, you're not going to get into any trouble over him." He says.

"How do you know that?" I ask, pressing on but being away to keep cautious because I don't want him to not say anything either.

"Because he's still alive, if you're thinking anything of that nature." Roman says. "I would never do that to anyone, so no you won't get into any trouble. Does that mean that I'll let a guy get away with disrespecting you? Hell no. You don't disrespect what's mine and get away with it. But I'm not stupid enough to put my hands on him. Especially a guy like him."

I walk over to him and cup his face, liking how he might refer to me as his. "So what happened to him? Why don't you want to tell me?"

"I was able to get a hold of him a couple of weeks after that night." He says, leaning his cheek into my hands. "Up until that day, as far as I knew, the McMahons had banned him from ever attending any of their events after that night, or gatherings, things of that nature. His reputation isn't the best and it follows him which is part of why he was losing so much money, because he was losing deals and sponsorships. They didn't want to be involved with someone who abused women, whether it was true or not and the McMahons weren't going to suffer either because of it. I don't know if you know or not, but before that night, things were starting to coming out little by little about the things that he's done to women. At least the way he's treated them. The only reason that nothing had happened to him up to that point was because he was still able to hire some really good lawyers in the city to help him out and even though his reputation had taken a turn for the worse, he was still known as an amazing NASCAR driver and that was something that couldn't be taken away from him. Though nowadays, nobody wants to represent him because apparently the way he treats people in general, is just not the best. When I met up with him, he was asking all of these questions about where he can find you and where could you be. I didn't tell him because I didn't want him to come after you again and try to do something to you if he wanted to blame you for what he was going through after the party. I was able to convince him to stay away."

"How?" I softly ask.

"Giselle..." He says, but I cut him off.

"Roman, if you didn't do anything wrong, why won't you tell me?" I whisper.

His large hands pull me to him and rest on my waist. I can feel the heat of his strong hands through my shirt and I want to feel them on my skin. But right now's not the time, so I try to leave that image out of my head.

"Why do you want to know?" He asks. "He's stayed away from you, hasn't he?"

"Yes, but Roman I just want to know." I insist.

He lets out a sigh and stands up, walking over to the window. I know there's more that Roman hasn't told me and I'm not sure why it's so important that he tells me about this. Probably because hearing it from someone else makes me feel like he's keeping a secret from me.

"Why are other people questioning me about what happened to him?" I ask.

"Like who?" Roman asks, turning around to face me.

"Someone at work." I say. "He was basically saying to be careful because all of a sudden, Tim went ghost around the time we started spending more time together and that one has to wonder why because of who you are and stuff. But he's the first person to ask. The only person to ask, actually."

His jaw ticked. "I didn't hurt the guy, Giselle and I didn't ask anybody to hurt him. So I have some friends in high places and they started looking into some of the allegations people had on him, especially the ones that were being doubted. Tim was pissed off at me because I was trying to keep him away from you because I knew he was no good for you, Giselle. Even you know that. He didn't give a shit about anybody but himself, even if it meant getting other people into a shit load of trouble. Tim kept asking for you, and from what I know, he's asked twice more since the last time I saw him, so yeah I like to keep him as far away from you as possible."

Roman steps towards me, but stops himself and keeps his distance, though there was a look in his eyes that I don't remember ever seeing from him. A look of longing and wanting as he looked at me. As if he was afraid of me leaving and not coming back. I didn't know why he never mentioned Tim again, and I never bothered to ask because honestly, I'm perfectly fine with never seeing him again. But the thought of anybody I care about getting into trouble and because of me, I would feel so guilty.

"If he does anything to ever hurt you, let alone touch you, I'll make sure that's the end of him." Roman says, in a tone that I haven't heard from him before and it sends shivers up my spine. "He'll be ruined without me or anybody else having to ever lay a finger on him and I'll make sure of it."

I start to think and it takes me a moment to realize something. "Who's that guy then?"

"What guy?" Roman asks, concern taking over. "What are you talking about? Is someone bothering you?"

"Have you ever had that feeling like someone is watching you, but you just don't know who it is or where it's coming from? Or even if it's just your imagination playing tricks on you?" I ask and watch as he walks up to me and holds my hands.

"Have you seen something out of the ordinary for you? Heard something? Anything?" He asks, looking over my face as if looking for evidence of something being done to me, that he hasn't seen before.

I think back for a moment. "When we came back from New Orleans, and you had to leave the next day for a business trip. It felt like someone was watching me, and I don't know why but then it would go away. I felt it on and off the whole time you were gone. When you came back, it stopped. Then two weeks ago, when you went back to Louisiana, I felt it again. This time though, I saw someone. It was a guy, I don't think I ever saw him before. I was with Jenny, because we were hanging out and catching up and it was on the weekend. I had Jackson with me because I had taken him to the park that morning, and she was going to be there with her dog."

"What did he look like?" Roman asks.

"He was dressed in black." I say. "Tall. Built. He was wearing a hat, and looked like he was trying to blend in. I never got close enough to him to notice anything more specific about him but from what I was able to see, it also looked like he had a beard. I saw him again when we were leaving the park and I wonder if that's why Jackson was acting up while we were there. He was more alert than usual, and whenever I saw the guy, Jackson would just start barking and barking, noticing something in his direction. When we were leaving the park and I saw the guy, Jackson was just so aggressive. It wasn't until we got in the train station that Jackson stopped."

"I'm putting some guards on you." Roman states.

"What?" I ask. "No you're not. Roman, I don't need security on me."

"I don't know this guy, Giselle." He says, going to his desk. "He's gotten bold enough to let you see him, who knows how much bolder he's going to get."

"I can take care of myself, Roman. I've been doing it since I was twelve." I argue.

"I'm not saying that you can't, what I'm saying is that I'm making sure you're protected." He argues. "We don't know what intentions this guy has for you and I'm supposed to just sit back and allow him to do something to you? The person I care about? I'm not taking away your independence, or doubting how good you are at taking care of yourself. It's an attractive trait you have, but I want you to stick around."

"Why?" I whisper, looking down and playing with my hands.

He gently cups my face, and has me look up at him. In that moment, something passed between us. A language that only the two of us can understand. Roman takes one of my hands and places it on the side of his chest with his heart. I can feel the muscle underneath his shirt and wish I could explore it. Taking my other hand, I place a finger on a spot on his neck where I can feel his heartbeat. His eyes spark.

"Because of that." He softly says. "And for me. You already have both."

"Really?" I whisper. I liked the thought of having him. All of him. "That doesn't mean I agree with having security right now."

"I'm sorry." Roman responds. "But i don't want to take any chances. Not with how much you mean to me."

"So there's no changing your mind?" I ask.

"I can't, I rather be safe than have something happen to you." He replies.

I drop my hands and pull away. "I have to get home, I'll see you."

Grabbing my purse, I leave and say bye to Ali. Looking back when I get to the elevator, Roman is leaning against the door to his office, with his hands in his pockets, and an ankle crossing his other. He looks right at me, and my breath catches at the way he does. Breaking the stare, I press the button for the elevator and try to not go back to him. Back to his arms where I always feel safest. But then I hear his voice.

"Giselle." Roman says, sounding closer than I thought he was, and I was right by the warmth of his hand through my sweater when he rests it on my waist. How does he move so quietly?

Turning around, it doesn't take me long to realize the stares that some of the employees are giving us. Roman noticed but he kept me close to him.

"Move along now, thank you." He says without even looking.

Everyone scrambled at the command of their boss. Turning his attention back to me, he takes out his phone and calls someone a moment later.

"Can you meet us downstairs?" He asks the person in the other line.

Hanging up, he took my hand and pulled me into the elevator with him, pressing the button with the letter G. I'm guessing it's for garage, knowing I wouldn't be surprised if it is.

"Roman, I have to get home and check on Jackson." I say, though he wouldn't say a word. "And I have to cook and clean."

Letting out a frustrated sigh at his lack of communication and cross my arms. The doors open a minute later and it opens to a garage with a few cars parked there. So I really was right. Looking around, the cars I see are all the type of cars you would expect people with money to have. Mercedes, Bentley, a Masaratti. Then there was Mr. Kelani, waiting by the car with a smile.

"Thank you, and please make sure she gets home safe." Roman tells him.

The man agrees and opens the door for me before moving along to get in the car. "Come over tonight. I'll make dinner."

"Roman..." I start to say before he interrupts.

"Please?" He softly asks. "Spend the weekend with me."

"How do I know it's not a ploy for you to keep an eye on me?" I rightfully ask. "As if I'm a child or someone who just doesn't know any better."

"No, I'm not doing that to you. I'm not suffocating you." Roman says.

I look at him. "And having security follow me around all the time, won't do that? I understand wanting to keep me safe, I really do. But I don't want security on me. Why are you wanting the last word on this?"

"Giselle, we'll talk about this later." Roman says, with seriousness in his voice. He rubs his face with his hands and curses under his breath. "Not here. Please."

I get in the car and slam the door shut, without saying another word to Roman. Mr. Kelani took the hint and drove off, taking me home.

 ** _Roman_**

It's almost midnight and I'm at home, about to eat some takeout after a long shower. I drowned myself in work after getting back up to my office and may have stopped by a bar to have a drink. I sit in the kitchen in sweats with my hair out without a shirt on because I just didn't bother with putting one on. The kitchen light is on, but the ones in the living room are off. I wanted to enjoy the lights from the New York skyline.

I think about earlier, and my conversation with Giselle that basically turned into an argument. I could have handled it better, I get that now after thinking about it. What was I supposed to think when she feels like she's being watched and actually saw the guy who could be doing it? How am I supposed to feel? Because this woman already has my heart and thinking about her getting hurt, and I always knew from the first day I saw her, that I would do anything to protect her. But how am I supposed to do that without making her feel like she doesn't have any freedom? As if she's being controlled and suffocated? Without going to far and losing her in the process? Just when I'm about to reach for my phone and try to call her again, the phone rings. Not my cell phone but the phone I have that security from downstairs can call me on. It's by the kitchen and they usually don't call at this time so I wonder if there's a problem.

"Hello?" I ask, not much in a mood to talk to anyone else.

"Good evening, sir, this is Jack from the front desk. We're Sorry to interrupt your night, sir," the voice on the other line says. He's a young guy that's been here for a little over a year and he's still in college, but he's a nice kid. Good head on his shoulders. "There's someone here to see you."

"Who?" I ask, looking at the time and wondering who would be wanting to visit me at this time.

"She says her name is Giselle." The guy replies and my heart jumps at her name.

"Really? Long, curly hair and blue eyes? Tan?" I ask. Not to mention, beautiful. And I just really miss her.

"Yes, sir." He replies.

"Let her up." I say, without hesitation. "Is that all?"

"She also has a dog with her." He adds.

"That's fine, she can bring him up." I reply. "Thank you, Jack."

Within a couple of minutes, she's coming in with Jackson in front of her. He barks a couple of times, before letting me pet him and going back to Giselle who takes off his leash. Slowly walking up to me, with a bag in her shoulder that she was putting down, a navy blue sweater, with a plain shirt underneath and tights. She smelled like strawberries, and I just wanted to breath in her scent. Take all of her in.

"Hi." She says in a tiny voice.

"Hey." I say. "I was thinking I wasn't going to see you."

Giselle looks down before looking back up at me. "I almost didn't come."

"What chabged your mind?" I ask, seeing Jackson walking around, and smelling things.

"Jackson, come." She says and when he does, she gets him to sit. "I didn't want us to spend the night mad at each other."

All I wanted to do was take her in my arms and forget about the argument. But I want her to be okay. And happy. Grabbing her bag, and her hand, I take her upstairs to put her stuff down in my room. I manage to get Jackson to follow me back downstairs while she changes into something more comfortable. Luckily I ordered enough to feed multiple people in case she was hungry. When she came down a few minutes later, she comes down with a black, silk robe on, that ends mid thigh in her and I couldn't help but wonder what's underneath.

"Is this okay?" She asks, hiding into herself when my eyes linger.

"It's perfect." I say, and her cheeks turn pink.

I offer her some food and she takes it. Sitting down across from each other, we eat quietly until we're done. Something is on her mind, I can tell, but I'm not going to force her to talk about it. After putting everything away, she's standing by the windows, and looking out into the city.

"I'm sorry. About earlier." I say, standing behind her. "I didn't say it with bad intentions, Giselle. I just...I can't stand the thought of something bad happening to you."

"Did you piss someone off?" She asks.

"I'm sure there's people who don't really like me." I say. "On your way to the top, there may be people who you're not going to make happy for whatever reason. They can say or do whatever they want with me. But you're off limits. For as long as you're mine, you're off limits."

She turns around and the light from the moon, helps illuminate her frame. Curves that I never stopped wanting.

"What does that mean?" Giselle's softly asks.

"They'll get you to get to me because it'll hurt. People know that I'm dating someone. They know I have you in my life and those who want to see me struggle will do whatever it takes for that to happen." I reply. "And they want to see how far I'm willing to go to keep you safe."

"What are you willing to do to keep me safe?" Giselle asks, looking up at me.

"Anything." I simply reply, wanting her in my arms.

"I've never had security guards with me before." She says. "What if I don't like them? Or trust them? I don't want to lose my freedom. I don't want to feel like I'm this person locked up in a cage because I have to have them around. I don't want to lose me."

Hooking a piece of hair behind her ear, I kiss her forehead. "You can interview them with me. See them for yourself and help pick out the ones you believe will do a good job. I don't want you to lose yourself because of anything or anyone. Not even me. You're perfect the way you are and I don't want anyone unless it's you."

"It's like I'm a princess, being protected and taken care of." She softly says.

"You're _my_ princess." I say. "I'll make sure you're protected and taken care of."

"Is spoiling me included in that?" Giselle jokingly asks.

I chuckled. "I thought I was already trying to do that."

"Which I give you a hard time about sometimes." She says.

"Because you're independent and you can take care of yourself which is absolutely sexy." I say, wrapping my arms around her waist.

She laughs and rests her hands on my chest. "I understand wanting to keep me safe. But do you understand why I'm hesitant about getting guards?"

"I understand." I say, softly. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like that would happen. Are we okay?"

A few beats pass before she answers. "We're okay."

"I think I have a way to make it up to you." I say, pulling away from her. "But first, what's the inspiration behind the robe? Want to be comfy?"

"Maybe." She says, untying it to reveal a black lace bra that's holding her natural breasts in place, with matching panties. The robe falls and pools at her feet, curse under my breath.

All the blood rushes down, as I groan and push her against the windows. I kiss her hard, my hands trying to cover every inch of her skin that I physically can at the moment. Giselle moans against my lips and I cup her more than generous ass, as my lips make their way down to her neck. Her soft moans fill my ear before letting out a happy sigh. I make a mental note to do that again.

"Wait, can people see in from outside?" She asks breathless.

"Would you like if they did?" I ask, kissing the top of her breasts while my hands find the hook.

"I don't know...no...maybe...I don't know..." Another happy sigh when my fingers brush her skin again.

"Don't worry baby, they can't see in." I say in her ear as I unhook her bra and let it fall, freeing her breasts. "But if you want to give people a show, we can definitely make that happen."

She arches her back when my mouth lands on one of her nipples, and my free hand enjoys her other one. Giselle lightly rubs her nails against my skin and I groan at the feeling. I feel her fingers pulling at my sweats and I break away from her, to look, seeing the large buldge.

"Something you want?" I ask and I can tell her cheeks are turning red when she notices.

Giselle bites her bottom lip and nods. "Yes."

"Not yet." I say, as my fingers find her panties and make their way in.

She moans when they find her clit and starts circling around it. Pressing into her slick folds, I rest a free hand against the window and gently bite down on her neck, wondering how good she would feel wrapped around something else as I add another finger.

"Roman" she moans, grabbing on to my arm.

"You like that?" I ask and pick up my head in time to see her eyes spark like electricity.

Before I knew it, I had my head buried in between her legs, as she stood over me with a leg draped over my shoulder. It wasn't long before she fell apart and I enjoyed every minute of it. Kissing my way back up, Ingot to her ribs where she had a tattoo of a dream catcher and another of an arrow. I picked her up and carried her upstairs so she wouldn't have to walk and came down from her high, leaving her robe down where by the windows with her bra and panties.

Laying her down on my bed, she looked up at me with those blue eyes of hers that always do something to me. Her hair is sprawled out underneath her and the vulnerability that I see in her, the gentleness while still having that hint of sexy exuding her body, and she's honestly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. Taking off my pants, my erection is now free and her eyes quickly go and that spark shows up again. Digging around in my drawer, I found a condom and put it on before getting on top of her and in between her legs.

"You're mine." I say in her ear, as I make my way inside her.

I groan and she lets out a soft gasp before she moans. She adjusts to the size and relaxes before I move again and each move became better than the last. She digs her nails into my back, and leans her head back into the pillow. I keep repeating 'mine', and I can hear the subtle agreement when she says 'yes' each time in response. Digging my fingers into her waist, she hooks a leg around my waist when I lean back down. Pulling my head up, our eyes lock and something passes between them when they do. I knew this woman was dangerous the night I first laid my eyes on her. Who knew I'd already be falling for her, and be this far deep in how I feel about her. I'd do anything for her and I'll be damned if someone takes her away from me. Kissing her neck when she leans her head back, I hear the satisfied sound escape her lips. Her body tenses up and I knew she was close.

"Hold it." I say, and she lets out a groan in protest.

"Roman." She moans out, digging her nails into my back again.

A few minutes pass before I say in her ear, "Cum."

I bite her neck as she lets go again, and I groan at how good she feels as she lets go around me. It wasn't long after that I was filling up the condom with my release. We stayed there, with my on top of her as we both came down from our high. Not wanting to hurt her with my weight, I attempted to get off but she held on to me.

"Stay with me." Giselle whispers, looking up at me.

"I'll stay." I reply. "Let me just throw this out."

I go to the bathroom where I throw out the condom and grab a warm towel. Getting back to the room, I see her stretch and curl up in my bed with her hair sprawled out on the sheets and her blue eyes shining up at me. Gently cleaning her up, I quickly make my way to the bathroom and come back out to picking her head up when she sees me.

"Did I hurt you?" I ask, getting back in bed and taking her in my arms without any hesitation.

"No." She softly says. "You were perfect."

"Can you stay the weekend?" I ask her, not wanting her to leave because of how much I like having her in my bed. In my arms.

Giselle nods. "I'll stay."

I give her a kiss but that eventually turns into spending the next few hours not getting any sleep.


	10. Chapter10

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K., or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**_

 _ **Giselle**_

Walking through Central Park with Roman and Jackson, I enjoy the warmth of Roman's hand around mine. Slowly making our way through the park after letting Jackson play around for a bit. Even though we were going towards the ending of May, it was a chilly Spring day and it was starting to feel like it would rain. I didn't realize my name was being said until I felt a gentle pull on my arm. Looking up, I see Roman curiously looking over at me.

"Are you okay?" He asks **.**

"Yeah, just thinking about a few things." I reply.

We walk a little further before we stop and sit on one of the benches. He kisses my temple and I snuggle close to him, taking in his cologne.

"I'm excited that my brother is coming up next weekend." I say. "But I'm nervous because I want him to like you."

"What makes you nervous about that?" He asks, playing with Jackson.

"This is the first time in what feels like a long time that I'm introducing him to someone and I want him to like you." I tell him. "He also tends to get very protective of me and wants to make sure you have good intentions with me. Michael is a good guy, though. Very smart, and he stays out of trouble. He may be a bit rough around the edges sometimes, but he can be gentle and kind. As long as you're on on his good side of course."

Looking up at Roman when he chuckles, I see his eyes are already on me. There's something in his eyes that I've seen before but I haven't put my finger on what it is. The way his eyes shine and sparkle. The way it's filled with the kind of warmth that fills me up inside.

"I'm assuming I won't be on his good list right away." Roman tells me.

"I think you'll be okay." I say. "Eventually."

I laugh when he looks at me as I get up. Holding out my hand, he immediately takes it and stands up, giving me a kiss when he does.

"Don't forget that I'm talking you out to dinner tonight" I mention as we make our way out of the park. "When we get Jackson back, I'm going to get some things for tonight."

"Do you need help with anything?" He asks.

"No, I think I got everything, but thank you." I say. "But if you want to go to the gym for a bit, or whatever else you can since you'll have time. Just be ready by like 7:30, so we can get to the place by eight."

"I'm just happy we get to spend some time together this weekend." Roman says as we make our way down the streets of New York. "We've both been so busy lately between work and we just finished up with the security thing for you and whatnot. And yes, you can stay over whenever you want. Gives me something to look forward to. Someone to come home to."

My heart skips a beat at the thought of having him come home to me. A home. Together. How I've always wanted a home with someone I love and care about. Love Roman? Absolutely, deeply in love. When did it happen? I'm not exactly sure. I just know that it did.

Later that night, I'm in Roman's and I'm just looking in the mirror when I see his reflection. He's leaning by the door, in jeans and sneakers, with a plain black t-shirt and his hair pulled back into a bun. He's shows me that smile of his and I turn around to look at him.

"You look beautiful." Roman says when he walks up to me.

"Thanks." I softly reply, as he hooks a strand of hair behind my ear with a look in his eye that sends shivers up my spine.

My dress was a black colored dress that reached slightly above my knees. The straps rested just off my shoulders and showed off my curves, while keeping it simple and not showing off too much. Black heels that showed my toes with nail polish that matched my manicures nails. My long hair, falling down my back in soft waves and a bracelet. Roman pulls me to him and I happily melt in his arms. Taking in the scent of his cologne, I press my lips against his jaw for a light kiss. He lets out a happy sigh, barely loud enough for me to hear.

"We should get going before we're late." I softly say.

"Okay." He replies with a soft smile. "You're still not going to tell me anything about this dinner?"

"Just know that its for your birthday." I say, not wanting to give anything away.

Giving me a light kiss, he waits for me to grab my purse and my phone before grabbing my hand and leaving. Once we get downstairs, Mr. Kelhani is already there waiting for us with a warm smile on his face. Getting him, Roman and I get in and enjoy the ride to the restaurant that I had booked for tonight. It was here in the city and the food is absolutely amazing. I had been to Romeo's Dine Wine before ever meeting Roman with friends and a couple of times with my brother, but it wasn't until we started dating that I started coming more frequently.

It had the main dining area for everyday use, and there were two separate rooms that were used for larger parties and events. The restaurant gladly provided the food and drinks, as well as seating, so all you had to do was book in advanced and work with them when it came to the amount of people, the food, and drinks and if there were any changes with anything, to let them know. Getting to the place which was about took almost 20 minutes because of the traffic but we made it on time. I texted someone inside to let them know we were there and I waited for Roman to walk up to me. I gave him a kiss and he smiled as he took my hand and happily followed me.

"You're in a good mood today." I say as we reach the entrance.

"It's been a really good day today, and I feel like it'll continue." He says as he rests his hand in the small of my back as we walk into the restaurant.

I lead him to one of the party rooms and he looks at me curiously. Reaching for my phone again, I open up the camera and smile at the guy that opens the door for us.

"Happy birthday!!" Says everyone when we walk in.

Roman chuckles and looks around in amazement before looking at me. "You did this for me?"

"I may have had some help with the invitations, but this is for you." I say.

He picks me up and I squeal in surprise before laughing as I wrap my arms around his neck. Giving me a kiss, he then goes to greet everyone, starting with his parents and his sisters. When they greeted me as well, his eyes sparked, followed by that handsome smile.

The room had decorations everywhere, from balloons to a banner saying 'happy birthday'. There was a cake that would be saved for after dinner and music that was starting to play. Some of his friends were there, like Seth with his fiancé, Becky, and Dean with his wife, Renee. My best friend, Jenny was there with her boyfriend, and we walked around from person to person making sure everyone was okay.

I ran into one of Roman's sisters and we started talking about if we had any plans so far for the summer and about things that you could do around NYC, especially with the weather warming up now that Summer is about to start.

"I'm not sure if my parents asked you this yet, or not. But what are your intentions with my brother?" Asks Vanessa.

"I want something long term with him." I say. "That man knows what I've been through. Knows how hard life has been for me, and yet cherishes me like nobody has ever done before. Like I'm the most precious thing in the world to him. As if I _am_ his world. Roman gives me peace. Happiness. Laughter. He gives me strength, even on my weakest days. He gives me all of those things even when I feel like I don't deserve it."

"Why would you think you don't?" She asks.

I look over at her. "When you've been through what I've been through, or worse, it's hard sometimes to believe that you deserve good, even when you know you do. Your doubts and insecurities come into play and it's not fun. I don't want to go through what I went through growing up, ever again. It was hard enough when it happened."

"And Roman reminds you that there's people out there who will do right by you." She says.

I feel a lump in my throat and the sting of tears in my eyes that I quickly blink away before finally admitting something out loud. "I really love him and I want him by my side for a very long time."

 ** _Roman_**

Watching my girlfriend be a social butterfly made me smile. _Girlfriend._ Before I met her, I thought I had everything I ever wanted. Friends. Family. A successful career. The chance to get everything money could buy. Most importantly, my health after getting back into remission and having the amazing opportunity of being able to work charities and foundations that work with children who have Lukemia. But Giselle has done something to me that nobody else has been able to do. She gave me a reason to want more out of life. Something to look forward to and the money no longer matters as much. Do I still want to be as successful as I can possibly be? Absolutely, and I've come so far and achieved too much to just give up now.

But Giselle is more important to me. Man, how I would do anything to see that smile on her face and hear her laugh. To see the light in her eyes and the way she lights up the room like she's doing tonight.

"You know," Someone said as they walk up beside me. "When I first met her, that night at the party a few months ago, despite whatever she was going through at the time, I could tell that there was something special about her. She was just going through a bit of a rough patch."

"What do you think of her now?" I ask my mom.

"She still has that something special inside." She says. "You know it, just as much as we do, if not more. Giselle has something that not a lot of people get to have or see from you."

I look over at her. "What's that?"

"Your heart." She replies. "And clearly she can cook, because she's keeping you fed."

We both laugh. "She's doing an excellent job at making sure I don't starve. She's an amazing cook. When did you two get the chance to talk?"

"Earlier today." My mother replies. "Giselle contacted us last month, and I immediately remembered who she was. She said she wanted to do something for you, for your birthday and was wondering if we would like to come up to New York to surprise you. We kept in contact, worked on a few details and before you ask, she recommended a few places where we could stay while we're here and be comfortable. We're only a couple of minutes away from you, and the view is beautiful. Giselle stopped by earlier at our hotel to make sure we were doing okay and had everything we needed. So we talked for a bit and she's strong. Having been through what she has and still he standing."

"Do you and Dad like her for me?" I ask quietly.

She smiles at me. "Yes, but you would have stayed with her anyways, knowing you."

I chuckle. "Hey, at least this time I'm not making a mistake."

"No, you're not. You chose the right one this time." My mom says with a smile.

Later that night, I'm about to walk my family back to their hotel, when Giselle walks over and stands by my side. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close, loving how easily and perfectly she fits.

"Thank you all so much for coming." Giselle tells them. "I hope you all enjoyed yourselves tonight."

"Thank you for inviting us to be here." My father says. "Glad we didn't miss it."

She gives them a sweet smile before we start walking with them. Once we get to the hotel they're staying in, we say goodnight to everyone before leaving.

"Thank you for tonight." I tell her. "It meant a lot to me, especially with my family being there."

"I just thought this would be a good present for you." She replies. "Thought it would make you happy."

"Come home with me. Spend the rest of the weekend." I suggest. "And my family."

"You sure it won't be a problem?" She asks.

I look over at her. "No, it'll be perfect."

Giselle touched my nose with hers. We took our time walking back to my place where we spent the majority of the night with me buried inside of her. It started in the kitchen, moved to the living room, then the hallway, and ended up in my bed. Early the next morning, it continued when I made love to her and didn't stop until we were both more than satisfied. Giselle came out to the kitchen wearing nothing but my shirt and giggled when I picked her up and sat her on the counter. I wrapped my arms around her when I stood in between her legs and nuzzled her neck. Her arms around my neck and play with my hair, before asking if I was okay.

"Yeah, I just want to hold you." I say, feeling her arms pull me closer to her.

Her fingers lightly trace my tattoo, and I was just there falling in love with her more than I already was. Even as I feel a few kisses from her on my shoulder, and I'm happy in this moment. Jackson barked a couple of times and ran up to her, happily greeting her.

"Hi, good morning." Giselle says with a smile on her face.

Jackson wags his tail and jumps around, barking a couple of times until she scratches his head and stays still. He barks at me when he notices that I'm still holding on to her.

"Be nice." Giselle says. "The two of you just have to find a way to get along for me."

I quietly laugh and I look down at him. "Is it ok with you if we share her?"

He barks a few more times before he walks around the kitchen. I give Giselle a kiss and I start making breakfast while she gets Jackson out of the kitchen. Talking, we made our way through breakfast and and everything feels normal. Like this is how it's supposed to be with us. Together. Happy. In love.

 ** _That night..._**

"I can never get over how nice this place looks." My sister, Vanessa says. "It gets nicer every time."

We're sitting in the living room, and we're just talking and joking around, and telling stories. Giselle is next to me, with Jackson walking into the living room and sitting by Giselle. He walks up to them and quickly goes back to Giselle. When she and Vanessa go with my mom and my other sister Summer, to the kitchen to get some drinks, I talked to my father for a bit.

"Are you two living together?" He asks when we walk to the window to enjoy the view.

"No, she has her own place up in the Bronx." I say. "It's not that long of a drive, about 30 minutes to get to her place by car from here. But with traffic, it might take a little more. But we have spent the night at each other's place a few times. Giselle works here in Manhattan, and it's easier for her to get to work from here."

"Is that the reason she spends the night?" He asks.

I smile. "It's not the only reason but it's one of them. Everything is better when she's around."

"But you want her to kind of, sort of, move in with you basically." He finished.

My father can be an intimidating man when you look at him. He's tall, tan, and you can tell that he's getting up in age though he can still probably find a way to kick your ass if he really wanted to. Not to mentioned that he used to be one half of a legendary tag team in professional wrestling, called the Wild Samoans with his brother, my uncle, Afa. He traveled quite a bit while I was growing up so my mom had to raise us by herself quite a bit. I'm sure I didn't always make it easy for her but I appreciate everything that the both of them have done for us.

"Dad, I already know." I tell him.

"Are you sure?" I hear my mother's voice, quietly ask from behind.

I look over at her and wrap an arm around her shoulder "I promise."

"Roman?" I hear her say from behind me.

Turning around, I see Giselle with a cup that she's handing over to me. I get her to come closer to me and she stands in front of me, with her back against my chest. Resting my hand on her waist, I feel when she relaxes and leans against me a little more. Things felt like it would be okay. As long as I had Giselle by my side, everything would be.


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K, or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**

 ** _Giselle_**

Waiting at the airport with Mr. Kelhani on a Friday afternoon, I anxiously wait for my brother. He texted me a couple of minutes ago saying that he was on his way to the exit. This would be the first time since Christmas, that I have seen him in person and I've been looking forward to it. Michael and I are so close and we always have been, growing up. We were always inseparable and after finally getting out of the system, it made us closer than ever because of the times that we were separated. But when our sister died, I moved not to long after that, and for a while, it put a bit of a strain in our relationship. Sometimes I wonder if it's still there, and I hate feeling like that. Could it also just be the distance between us? He's all the way in Florida, and I'm up here in New York. He's the only family I have left and I don't want to lose him, which is why I'm happy that Michael is coming, even if it's just for the weekend. Maybe one of the things we could talk about is how to better our relationship.

My heart speeds up when I see him. Six foot six of muscles and tattoos. Dark blue jeans, and a black shirt with his dark hair that he had grown out a little more, tied up into a ponytail. Suitcase rolling behind him, and his phone in his free hand. If you didn't know him, you would probably think he does something physical for a career with how built he is. Something that involved him using his hands from how rough they are. But he was a Criminal Justice Major, just like me and graduated with both his Bachelor's and his Master's with high honors and works with Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics. Has all these certifications for it and everything. He gives me that smile of his and I couldn't help but return it and run over to him.

"You're finally here." I say, when I run into his arms. "You're here."

"I've missed you so much." He says in a deep voice, picking me up as we hug.

Stepping back, I take his face in my hands and look up at him. From his blue eyes that go from being as deep as the ocean to as light as can possibly be. Clean shaven face and cologne that filled my nose. One of my favorites of his. Strong jawline. Similar nose to mine. If you look closely enough, you'll see some light freckles. We look similar to each other with our obvious differences.

"How was your flight?" I ask.

"It was good." He replies. "Had my music and read a bit. Is the car with the guy supposed to be ours?"

I turned my attention to what he was referring to and smiled. "Yup."

"Curtesy of your boyfriend?" Michael softly asks.

"You haven't even met him yet and you already don't like him." I say and I drop my hands to my side, trying to not play with them.

He lifts my chin so I could look up at him. "I didn't say that, Giselle. This is just the first guy you've dated that's ever provided a ride."

Security tells us that we have to get moving, and so we do. I introduce him to Mr. Khelani and we get his bag in the trunk before getting into the car. The two get to talking and asking little questions about each other, though I could tell that Michael hesitates a bit. He hasn't always been the type to immediately let someone in and I don't blame him. When we get to my place, I show him to his room so that he could put his stuff down and get some rest while I take Jackson out for a walk after getting him out of the room that my bother will be in. Coming back, I see him in the kitchen drinking some water.

"This place is spotless." Michael says, taking another sip. "You used to hate cleaning at one point, remember that?"

I laugh softly. "Yes, but I also like to have a clean place, and clean clothes. So I grew out of that."

"You don't have a lot of stuff here." He adds, looking over at me.

"I never had a lot of stuff, no matter where I lived." I say. "We were always moving around growing up so there was never any reason to have a whole bunch of stuff. I guess, that habit kind of stuck with me."

Michael gives me a curious look. "Do you ever plan on leaving New York? Moving out to Florida? You've mentioned in the past that you wanted to. Does that still stand?"

"I still think about it." I say, watching as Jackson comes in between us and nudges my leg.

"Don't let someone keep you from going somewhere, GG." He says. "You're really smart, and you're really good at your job. One of the best. Don't limit yourself because of someone or something. If he's the one, it'll work out."

I give him a small smile, as I scratch Jackson's head. I know he's right, and I've mentioned to Roman before we started dating that I had thought about going back to Florida. But how would he react if I decided to actually go ahead with it? He has just about everything that has to do with his career, here in New York. How can I ask him to pick up and move to another state? I know his family is there in Florida, but this is his career. This is how he makes his money. But a part of me feels that in a situation like that, I would want him to choose me. To always choose me, regardless of anyone or anything.

"Are you mad that I moved back up here?" I ask him.

"Nah." He replies, shaking his head. "You did what was right for you at the time and I can't hold that against you and be mad about that. I wish we were closer together so we could see each other more often. But I'm not mad. I just want you to be okay and happy."

The next day Michael and I are trying to do as many things as possible after having an active early morning with Jackson. We went to the Brooklyn Bridge where we met with Jenny and her boyfriend and walked it, taking pictures in the process.

"So how's the girlfriend?" I ask my bother as we take in the sights of both cars and people that are making their way across one of New York's many bridges.

"She's doing good. Busy working like always, but she does say hi and that she wants you again soon." He says with a smile.

They've been together for a little over a year now and I saw her during Christmas when she came up to New York with Michael. Her name is Jennifer and we met a couple of months after they started dating. This is the happiest that I have ever seen him and I'm happy for him. She's an amazing girl with her own career going for her, the CEO of her own business, a foundation called _Always and Forever._ It helps single mothers and fathers with the sources that they need to help raise their kids and help keep them together. It provides them with meals and sources for education, housing and jobs while making sure that the kids stay in school and keep their attendance in good standing to avoid problems with Children's Services. It hit close to Michael's heart, seeing as how we were put in foster care and stayed there for the remainder of our childhood, and were some of the many children that the system didn't help when it came to the families that we were put with.

"We'll definitely make it happen." I say, squeezing his arm. "I miss her."

Once we make our way over the bridge, we walk to the train station to make the trip to Coney Island. The place was full of people and we had to make sure we didn't lose each other in the crowds. We got on some rides before eating some Nathan's hot dogs while we walked on the boardwalk and making the journey back into the city to get to One World Observatory which is in Lower Manhattan. It has some of the best views of the city, and when the sun is setting, it's absolutely beautiful. If you ever get the chance to come here during sunset and stay until the Skyline lights up at night, try it. The Observatory, is also known as the Freedom Towers. It was built where the World Trade Centers once stood before the 9/11 attacks and will always be a part of New York's history.

"This is amazing." Michael says, taking in the view from the 102nd floor. "A city so big and full of people going on about their day and their life, like they do every day. I wanted to get the hell out of here when we were younger. I loved it here, but I just wanted to go somewhere else and start new. Make something better for myself."

"You've done that for yourself." I tell him. "I'm proud of you for everything you've accomplished. You've done a really good job at making a good life for yourself, Michael."

"We made it and we turned out okay." He says quietly, looking out the windows.

Tears sting my eyes, as the thot of our sister creeps in. I wish she was here in this moment, with us. Taking in this view with us. I didn't realize I had been quietly crying until Michael hugged me and kissed my head.

"I know." He whispers as tears roll down my face. "I miss her, too. It's okay."

"I wish she was still here." I softly say.

Michael tightens his grip and keeps me in his arms. He lets me cry, while he tries to comfort me. We still have each other, like we always did and will continue to do so.

 ** _Roman_**

I make my way to the restaurant to meet up with Giselle and her other, Michael who is here in New York for the weekend. He's staying with Giselle at her place and I wanted to give them space to spend as much time together as possible without any interference from me and having things be awkward. I know how much it means to Giselle to have us meet, and I knew that the day would eventually come. He's the only relative she has left in her life and I could tell by the way she talked about him, that their relationship was important to her. That their bond was real and strong. I waited a couple of minutes outside the restaurant once I got there, before I felt a gentle poke on my shoulder. Turning around, I smile seeing Giselle in a dress that reached a few inches above her knees, and spaghetti straps, with a light sweater in her hands, showing her naturally tan skin. Her long, curly hair was up in a ponytail and she had sandles on, showing her toes.

"Hi." She softly says with that smile of hers that made the corner of her eyes crinkle.

"Hey." I say with a smile of my own, giving her a kiss before hugging her. "You look beautiful."

I see her cheeks turn a shade of pink when I pull away, and I give her a kiss. A few quick words and another kiss before she introduces me to her brother.

"Michael, this is Roman." Giselle says, pulling my hand to bring me closer to him. "Roman, this is my brother, Michael."

"Nice to finally meet you." He says, extending his hand.

I take his hand. "Nice to meet you, as well."

Michael is a large man. Taller than me by a couple of inches and you can tell he works out by how in shape he is. Blue eyes like Giselle. Dark hair. Protectively stands by his sister when he steps back. Hearing her voice asking if we could go in now, I turned my attention back to her and smile. Signaling to the door, we went in and followed the hostess to our seat. It was the same restaurant that I had my birthday dinner and party, thanks to Giselle. I know this is one of her favorite restaurants here in New York and though it would be a good place for her brother to come. The place was busy tonight and was crowded more than usual. Then again, weather wise, it was a really nice night out and a weekend. Once we ordered, we got to talking about how their day went and all of the things they did. Their most favorite place was the Observatory where they saw the skyline during sunset.

"What do you do for work, if you don't mind me asking." I said as we started eating.

"Digital Forensics and Cyber Security." He says. "A bit more on the cyber security part. I hear you're a very successful businessman. Something with shipping."

I look over at him to see him already looking on. He arches an eyebrow and I make a mental note about him. "Yeah, shipping. But you already knew that."

"You already knew about what I do." Michael says, and I see it in his eyes. "But you asked, anyways."

With that look in his eyes, I can see why people would find him intimidating. His looks add to it. But this man is smart. Incredibly smart, and someone who doesn't know any better, would think that with his calm demeanor, he's not capable of letting his temper go off the rails if provoked. He just knows how to pick and choose his battles. One look at Giselle though and his features relax as he smiles over at her. Making a face and saying something in Spanish, causes her to giggle before she responds. In that moment, you could see a hint of the gentle side of him that she had mentioned he had.

"What are your intentions with my sister?" Michael asks. "Are you in this long term, short term? Do you see her in your future?"

"I've always wanted long term with her." I say, looking over at Giselle who's eyes meet mine. "I want a future with her by my side. I'm the happiest I've ever been with her and I know it's not always with how busy I get and the times I have to travel. But I look at her and see one of the strongest women I've ever met. That doesn't mean that I put her through things just because I think she can handle it. I actually admire it. It's not easy having a loving heart in a world where people and things can be so cruel. As for my intentions, do I want her to have a happily ever after? Absolutely. I just want it to be with me."

Something passes in her eyes and I'm not sure what it is. Giselle's face doesn't show it and she doesn't speak on it. But the smile on her face makes me want to do anything possible to see it again and again. It's been a while since I've thought about having a future with someone. With Giselle, it's all I want and then some. I want it all with her and I want it for the rest of my life. I knew when I saw her that Giselle was going to be a dangerous woman. But I'm so in love with her, and I don't know when it happened. It did, though and I don't regret one moment of it.

"So you want marriage and kids?" He asks. "You want to settle down and have that and everything that comes it? You're going to put Giselle first every single time? I'm sure you have to put in a lot of time and effort into what you do in order to get to where you are now. You're a billionaire with a multi-billion dollar business. How do I know, how would she know that you won't only remember her when you got free time? That she'll be your first priority?"

Giselle looks over at him, as if asking him to take it easy.

"Look, I know I've spent years building up what I have." I say. "You're right, it takes time and effort to make it this far. It takes dedication and you have to want it because it's not easy. But when you want something or someone bad enough, you'll do whatever you have to do to get and keep it. I'd do anything for Giselle. Anything to make her happy because she's more important to me than anything and anything to keep her. I can replace money, I can replace anything material. I can work my way back up, but I can't replace her. I can't replace how happy she makes me and how much better she makes things for me. For my life. So yeah, I want everything with her. Giselle is more important to me than all of it."

After dinner, which felt like it lasted forever, the three of us went out for some drinks at a local bar that was nearby. Giselle stayed close by to the both of us, while holding on to my hand. With her brother and I by her side, the guys didn't come around her. Which was better for both him and I. Michael looked like he was more than willing to put a guy in his place for even looking at her. Despite the interrogation every now and then, he's a nice guy and incredibly smart. Can hold a conversation about something and actually know what he's talking about instead of pretending that he does. When Giselle goes to the bathroom, its not until she's far enough away that he talks again.

"I'm sorry for being a bit of a hard ass earlier." He says. "I just love Giselle very much and I want to see her happy. She's been through a lot, we both have and she deserves to be happy and to have good things happen to her. When it comes to relationships, she deserves somebody who's loves her the way she deserves and won't change a thing about her. She deserves somebody who's going to treat her the way she deserves to be treated. This is the first time in a long while that she's wanted me to meet somebody that she's with and so I know it must be something serious to her. When it comes to guys who have a lot of money and are successful, like you are, I've heard it time and again, where they get this huge flock of people throwing themselves at them and for the wrong reasons and whatnot. Point is that I don't want her to get hurt, even though I see that you love her. I want to see that she's in good hands."

"Is it that obvious that I love her?" I ask, taking a sip of my drink.

"By that, I assume that she doesn't know." Michael says.

I shake my head. "My last relationship didn't end too well, so trying to take it easy." I say. "A part of it was my fault because I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to her. I was too busy caught up in wanting to keep working and working. We were on and off anyways and had been for a while, even though it didn't start off that way. She found someone else during one of our 'off' times and went back to him every time since. So yeah. I know better this time, than to put someone I love and care about second to my career. You'll regret losing someone like Giselle."

Feeling a warm hand on my arm, I look to see Giselle trying to squeeze in between us. She looked so tiny in between us, even as she hooked her arms through ours. "Are we behaving ourselves?"

I smile and kiss her head. We asked her if she was ready to go and left, leaving a tip for the bartender. Holding hands, I stayed close by to her while holding her sweater. We walked around, people watched, talked, and laughed before we got back to the entrance of my building. I had Mr. Kelhani waiting for them since Giselle and Michael were staying at her place and she had to go check on Jackson as well.

"I know you said yo were leaving tomorrow, so I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for breakfast before you left." I suggested to Michael and Giselle. "We could go out somewhere. I know Giselle loves Ihop."

She giggles and gave the most adorable little smile before Michael replies. "That sounds good. Let's pick a time and whatnot, and we'll see each other tomorrow."

Michael and I say our goodbyes to each other before he gets into the car. I hand Giselle her sweater and wrap my arms around her.

"Thank you for being patient with him." She softly says, looking up at me. "I know he's not the easiest person when he's being protective of me. "

"I get it. He loves you very much." I say, touching her nose with mine. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nods. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Or later, whichever you'd like." I add.

Giselle laughs and I can't help but smile. We share a kiss before I help her get in the car. I step back after closing the door and watch as they leave. I immediately miss her and want her to come back and stay with me instead. But I want her to enjoy her time with her brother, and not be in the way of it. I let out a sigh and go back to my place. When I do, I go into the kitchen to get some water and hear my phone. I check and see that it's a text. It was from one of the people that I had gotten to try to investigate further, the guy that has been following Giselle. We had seen him earlier in the week and one of our security, was able to get some pictures of him.

 _"We got a match. Let us know when you want to meet up and discuss."_


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**

 ** _Roman_**

I get home early from work because I'm going to meet up with the people I have who are checking up on this mysterious man. Walking in through the front door, I see Jackson barking when he runs up to the door before hearing her sweet voice calling for him. He greets me before following her voice to go back to her. Walking to the kitchen, I see her drinking some water and she smiles at me when our eyes meet.

"Hey beautiful." I say when she quickly walks up to me and into my arms.

"Hey." She replies, giving me a hug and a kiss.

I pick her up and sit her on the counter, leaving her arms around my neck. "I wasn't expecting to see you here this early. I was going to get ready to go pick you up."

"Well, I wanted to surprise you and save you the trouble." She says, unbuttoning the top buttons of my shirt. "I didn't know what time you were going to come out and I was off today, so I thought I'd come myself. How was your morning?"

"Busy, I had a meeting this morning." I say, kissing her neck. "Then another meeting with finance. Some paperwork that I had to finish up. I'm assuming you used the key I left at your place on Monday."

"Yes." She softly replies. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, you can come over whenever you want." I say, kissing her lips and getting that smile of hers in return.

Giselle gives me another kiss. "I took Jackson to the dog groomer. They spoiled him today and gave him a snack for being so good."

"I'm sure he was good because you were there." I tell her and she chuckles. "I'm serious. It seems he likes to behave with only you. Who are you trying to look handsome for, Jackson?"

"Well, I'm just glad he did today. There have been times when he will not have it and want to run all over the place and not stay still, but luckily that's not always." She says. "Are we still meeting them today?"

I quickly remembered what she was talking about and let out a deep breath. "Yeah, that's why I wanted to leave early from work. I wanted us to go together. You deserve to know what's going on."

"Okay, let me just walk Jackson and we could go." She says.

"Do you want me to go with you?" I ask.

She softly smiles and shakes her head. "It's okay. We'll be quick."

I give her another kiss before she leaves with Jackson on his leash while I get ready to go back out. Almost 30 minutes later, we're getting to office of the people I had looking up this guy. They take us to a room where they were working at and had us sit down. The building wasn't far from where Giselle worked and she knew some of the people that worked in the building. The man that was going to begin was a bit older than me. He was in his 40's and a bit shorter than me. He had started out as a cop before moving up, as he continued his education after getting his Associate's Degree.

"We ran several of the photos to see which ones would get a hit." George started out saying. "Two of the pictures had a hit."

He showed us the two pictures that he was referring to, where they were able to get a clear shot of his face. He then typed in a name, and another picture came in. This time of a mug shot. The man had brown eyes with short dark hair and a beard that was growing out. I'm not sure how old the guy is, but he seemed to be older than me.

"His name is Bill Jones. Sound familiar to either one of you?" Asks George.

"Not to me." Giselle replies.

"I don't remember ever hearing that name." I add. "What do you have on this guy?"

George types in a few more things before pulling up some more information. "So this guy has been caught for small things like robbery and marijuana, and seems to also have a weapons charge. That's about as serious as his charges get. b=But he's also currently under investigation because apparently he's working for Tim Haggin."

"What the hell are they doing and what does it have to do with Giselle?" I spit out, wanting answers more than ever.

"He's still mad about what happened at the party with the McMahons." George answers. "A part of him wants to blame Giselle which is why he insists on wanting to see her again and get in contact with her, but we don't know what he'll say or do if he was to ever get the chance to do so. As we all should know by now, he doesn't want to do the dirty work to avoid having more trouble go his way. This is where Bill Jones comes into play. The guy has always been in and out of trouble, especially as a juvenile. Anyways, he has Mr. Jones figuring out where Giselle is, what she does and simply as much information that he could possibly get and he gives that information to him. From the moment you've noticed that something may not be right, until now, Haggin probably already knows you have a dog, he probably knows that you like to take him to the park, and probably what part you like to go to. We don't know what else he may know. This could also be a way to get to you, Roman."

"If he wants me, he doesn't have to go through her to do it." I say. "If he has a problem with what happened that night, then take it up with me. Don't put her through any trouble because it's not her fault. She didn't ask for him to treat her the way that he did."

Looking over at Giselle, I see the worried look in her eyes and I felt bad because I didn't want her to be going through this. She apologizes and I take her hand in mine.

"It's not your fault." George tells her. "Roman is right, you didn't ask for it and you didn't deserve that which leads me to our next bit of information. We know that Tim Haggin loves money which is why he always wanted to stay in the same circles as you and the McMahons as well as anybody in this city that has the sort of wealth and connections that you do. He also wants the success that you have and the respect and reputation that comes with your name. He's being investigated for fraud and money laundering and there may even be an investigation going on for a domestic violence case that was dropped about a year ago. Now you know the detectives aren't going to say much about the investigation because it's still open and active. So for him to avoid further trouble, he's enlisting the help of this Bill Jones guy. From what we were able to gather, he found out about Jones through an acquaintance who thought he would be a good fit for whatever Haggin had in mind. Before you ask, Roman, the answer is yes. He knows that hurting her will hurt you which is one of the reasons why he's going after her. As private as you are with your relationship, you've also been seen in public together, so people know that you're dating each other. There's nothing wrong with that, I promise. But unfortunately, there's people out there in this world like Tim Haggin who have bad intentions and some of them don't care if they hurt others in the process, no matter how innocent those people are."

"What do we do now?" She asks.

"If he has a problem with me, he can come after me." I say. "But I need her safe. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her."

George looks over at us. "Giselle, you can still do your everyday activities. There's no need to keep yourself in a bubble and isolate yourself from the world. But if you're able to go out somewhere, go out with someone so that you're not by yourself. Someone that you can trust. Friends. Roman. Any family. Neighbors or coworkers that you know you can trust. When you're going somewhere that you frequent often like work, home, or the park, try taking different routes every time you go to switch it up. When you go to the park, try different entrances and exits, if you can. If you feel like something is wrong, let someone know, whether that person is Roman or someone from his security, just let someone know that they know something may not be right."

"Okay." She quietly says.

The look in her eyes breaks my heart. I didn't want her to feel like she couldn't live her life and be free, especially because of me. I didn't want her to feel restricted and as if she was more of a child than my girlfriend. Giselle looked sad and I couldn't take it. I can't take her being sad.

"We'll be okay." I tell her. "We'll figure it out."

"I know this isn't exactly what we want to hear right now, but this is what's going on at the moment." George says. "I just know that Haggin's going to get himself hung pretty good. He leaves evidence behind, even when he thinks he doesn't. He'll get his day in court and finally pay for what he's doing."

After talking for another 15 minutes, we thanked him for all of the information that he was able to provide and we left, taking our time as we made our way back to my place. Giselle wanted to enjoy the fresh air and I didn't stop her. She walked ahead of me for a bit and I gave her some space before she slowed down and took my hand in hers. We got something to drink on the way and share it. Once we get to the building, we make our way up and before we get to the door, I hear her sniffle and I look to see her eyes shine with tears.

"I'm sorry." She whispers as tears roll down her cheeks. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have ever dealt with him. I should have known better. This is my fault, I'm so sorry, Roman."

"Giselle, baby, it's not your fault." I say, cradling her face in my hands. I really can't take her being sad. It kills me inside.

"Yes, it is. If I wasn't with him that night, I never would have went to the party with him and I wouldn't have gotten him mad." She says, trying to breath in between tears and sniffling. "He would have never reacted the way that he did with me and he wouldn't have gotten mad because of what ended up happening. He wouldn't be after us, trying to get back at us for what happened. This is my fault. I should have listened to my gut when it was telling me that he could be a bad person. I should have."

I wipe off some of her tears and kiss another one that before it finished rolling down her face. "Stop blaming yourself because it's not your fault. Haggin was a bad guy since before you ever met him. He took you needing help to try to benefit him, because he had no intention of doing good. That's not on you, Giselle. That's on him. I'm not losing you, baby. We're not letting your freedom get taken away. I told you before we started dating that I got you and I still mean that. I got you. Okay?"

Giselle sniffles and pouts. I wipe off some more tears with my fingers and I see her curl up into herself. "I don't want you to feel like keeping me safe is something you have to do. Something else on your list of things that need to get done."

"No, I'm wanting to keep you safe because I love you, Giselle." I say and her eyes meet mine and I watch as they light up. "I love you, and I can't take it if something happens to you. Especially if there was something I could do to help prevent you getting hurt. You're my priority, Giselle and I love you."

"You do?" She asks in a tiny voice, followed by a sniffle.

"I thought I made it obvious. Besides, who knows if I would have ever met you if you weren't with him that night." I softly add. "Something good came out of it, yeah?"

"Can I stay the night?" She asks.

"Yeah, you can stay as long as you'd like." I honestly tell her.

"Good, because I bought some clothes." She replies and I laugh before she showing a hint of a smile.

I grab her hand and gently take her inside when I open the door. Jackson barks before happily greeting her and then me. He stays close to her, and whines before she scratches his head. Giselle whispers something to him when she bends down and he nudges her cheek, as if understanding what she was telling him at that moment. She softly smiles and rubs his back as she stands back up, turning her attention back to me.

"You're really tired." Giselle softly says.

"How can you tell?" I ask, walking up to her.

She unbuttons my shirt some more, reminding me of the top buttons that she had undone earlier. "Your eyes and you look like you're stressed out. We can just order in tonight, unless you want me to cook."

"I think we both need to just relax tonight. What would you like to order?" I ask.

Once we agree on Chinese a few minutes later, we call to order for delivery. I manage to get Giselle to let me walk Jackson tonight and she hands me his leash.

"I'll have his food and water ready by the time you get back." She says before I kiss her forehead.

When I get out, it feels like the weight of so many things on my shoulders. As much as I wanted to keep going and going, I knew that I needed a break. I've been working nonstop for what feels like forever without ever taking a proper break, except for when my Leukemia came back. It's not fair to Giselle to put her through that with me for not taking proper care of myself. When I get back upstairs, I let Jackson off his leash and he goes to the bowl that has water in it, and drinks. When the food finally comes, Giselle takes it and places the food on the counter. Taking my hand, she pulls me to her and sits herself on the counter. I automatically wrap my arms around her and dig my face against her neck. I feel my hair come loose when she takes it out of the bun I've had it in since this morning and her hand gently play with my hair.

"I love you." She whispers. "You hear me? I love you, very much, Roman."

I feel my body relax and everything has been forgotten about. As I needed to hear that more than anything else. As if I just needed that, period. I hold on to her a little tighter and hear her breathe in when I pick her up, taking her upstairs. After a long shower together, we eat dinner. In the kitchen with me in sweatpants and my hair out and Giselle in my shirt with her hair in a braid. We shared some kisses in between and shared some cheesecake before sitting in the living room, with Jackson walking and jumping around before quietly laying down beside Giselle's feet.

The next day, I wake up and see Giselle's head on my chest and an arm protectively around her as she sleeps. I see the remote next to her and remember falling asleep quickly after turning off the television. I kiss her head and breath in her shampoo, The smell of coconut still lingers in her hair and my hand plays with her hair for a bit before I gently get out of bed, careful to not wake her. After I brush my teeth and get dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, I take my phone and a bottle of water and bring Jackson along with me, for a run. When I come back about an hour later, I smell food coming from the kitchen and my stomach rumbles. Jackson follows the scent when I take his leash off and hear him bark and hear Giselle's voice shortly after. I smile when I see her and give her a kiss when I walk up to her.

"How you feeling?" I ask, resting my hand on her waist.

"I'm okay." She softly replies. "Did you sleep good?"

"Yeah, I did." I reply.

She softly presses her lips against my jaw and I see her wanting to curl up like a little kitten. I wrap my arms around her and she rests her head on my chest before I see those blue eyes look up at me.

"Let's take a weekend to go somewhere." I suggest.

"Go where?" Giselle asks.

"Anywhere you want." I say. "I'll get the plane ready, just tell me where you want to go and I'll get it ready."

She pulls her head back and looks up at me fully. "You're serious?"

"Yeah, why not?" I ask.

"What about work?" She asks in reply. "I thought you had a trip coming up in a couple of days."

"I'll be back before then, and I'll be here right on time for us to go. We could take the trip and be spend time together." I say. "Get away from all of this for a bit. Recharge."

She touches her nose with mine. "You sure?"

"Positive." I tell her. "If you want to stay in the city, that's fine, too. Whatever you want."

Giselle thinks for a moment. "Would you like to go to Puerto Rico?"

"That sounds good." I say, holding her face in my hands. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She says with a light in her eyes.

Everything is going to be okay. I can feel it.


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K. or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**

 _ **Giselle**_

After about a month, Roman and I were able to finally take our weekend getaway to Puerto Rico and I didn't want to go back to New York when it was all over. The weekend was spent in San Juan which is the capital of Puerto Rico and visited Viejo San Juan, which in English, is 'Old San Juan'. It's a historic landmark and it has shops, open air cafes, restaurants, and museums. We ate traditional Puerto Rican food every day we were there and was even able to squeeze in some time at the beach, of course taking pictures of everything we could. We made love every night including the morning of the day we came back to New York. It was a time for the two of us to be able to spend time together, and away from everything that had kept us busy and going for the past month.

"You've been extra quiet today. You sure you're okay?" Jenny asks as we walk around my neighborhood with our dogs.

"Yeah, I've just had a lot on my mind lately." I reply.

"Girl, I thought that weekend helped. You were so relaxed when you came back." She said.

I let out a sigh and smile. "I was. It was an amazing time there, and we had such a great time. It definitely helped with the stress for both of us. It gave Roman and I the chance to talk and reconnect without having to worry about anything else for a while. It bought us closer together and we've been so great ever since. Better than ever. That's not my issue. It's just this Haggin thing. The guy that's working for him, is starting to show up more frequently and so Roman has tightened up security for me."

Looking around, I quickly spotted the men that had been with me that last two weeks, including today. To anyone who didn't know, they probably wouldn't have been able to tell because they looked like regular guys with regular clothes on. They wouldn't have a clue that they were trained in combat and with weapons like the guns that they were licensed to carry concealed. From what I knew, the five guys that were to be my security, have all been in the military with two of them being well trained snipers and they were strategically placing themselves in a way that would help them continue to blend in, while maintaining contact with each other.

"Roman would never let anyone touch a hair on your head, even if this wasn't happening." Jenny says with a smile. "You're like his Queen and he'll do anything for his most precious jewel."

I smile thinking about him, but then I see him. The lowlife that's working for Haggin and I look around like I normally would, being extra aware of where he is and I spotted two of my guards.

"Giselle, please tell me why you're guys aren't doing anything right now. I thought you said they were around." She says, acting as normal as possible as we cross the street.

"They know what they're doing." I softly say, as I take out my phone. "They're blending in but I can see two of them just fine. Besides, you know Roman by now. He probably has them on strict orders to protect me and I don't doubt for a second, that he'll catch a fit if they mess up."

"Do you think he ever feels bad about it?" Jenny asks. "For the whole Tim Haggin thing."

I think for a moment. "I think a part of him feels bad. If anybody has it out for him, there's a chance they'll want to harm me to get to him. They think it'll get him off his game if something happens to me because it'll make him take his attention off of his business. His income. His power. His connections. His position at the top. So he feels bad because he doesn't want me to get caught up in any of it, especially when I have nothing to do with however they feel about him. He doesn't want anything bad to happen to me so I think he does take a lot of the blame for this."

My phone rings and I look to see that it's Roman. "Hey, Roman."

"Are you okay?" He asks, with some concern in his voice.

"Me and Jenny are fine." I reply, and I hear the slight sound of relief from his end.

"He hasn't spoken to you, touched you, made any kind of attempt at anything towards you?" Roman asks.

"No he hasn't." I say.

Jackson suddenly gets closer to me and walks directly by my side as he walks my pace. I keep a good hold on his leash, even though I know he still has more strength than me. He stops and growls when he looks back. I get his attention and he's quickly walking by my side again.

"They're all close by and before you say anything, remember that I know what they look like, so I know who to look for." I reassure him.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure you were fine." Roman says. "I love you."

I smile, even though he won't be able to see it. "I love you, too."

"And tell her I said 'hi'." He adds.

I laugh softly. "Okay. Talk to you soon."

"Roman says hi, by the way." I tell Jenny when we hang up.

She smiles as we reach the ice cream truck. Jackson starts trying to get behind me a moment later and when I look, Roman's walking up to us. My heart skips a beat and then he smiles that smile of his before he greets Jackson.

"Where'd you come from?" I ask as he wraps an arm around my waist and brings me close to him.

"I was closer than you thought." He softly says, giving me a kiss.

I touch his nose with mine and smile. "Do you want ice cream?"

He chuckles and orders one for Jenny and another one for us to share. I see the man once again, and when a bus passes by, he's no longer around. I snuggle closer to Roman and feel him tighten his grip.

"We got you, don't worry." He says in my ear before pressing a soft kiss behind it.

Later that day, I was bringing the last of my stuff to Roman's place. After knowing that Haggin's 'partner' was around where I live, everyone agreed that there was a chance he knew where I lived. We didn't want to take the chance of him one day, showing up at my place late at night or when we thinks I would be by myself and something happens. He's already starting to get a bit to close and bold for comfort and Roman wasn't going to take any chances of something happening to me. I'll be putting in my notice that I'm moving out of my apartment on Monday, seeing as the office in my building is closed for the weekend and I'll go to the post office as well to put in a change of address. Luckily, I was never one to ever have a lot of stuff, so all I had to take care of was furniture and the last remaining stuff of mine that I could get tomorrow.

Standing by the windows in the living room, I'm just staring out at the skyline. Staring out at the movement of cars and people that are still out in the street at 2:30 in the morning on what is now, Sunday. I was able to carefully get out of bed, trying to not wake Roman up and make my way to the living room without tuning on any of the lights. I check on Jackson and see that he's still sleeping, so I let him sleep and continue looking out at the world. I wrap myself up in my arms and I just want to hide. I wanted things to be left alone and not be bothered by Tim or any of his little friends. I want to be able to stay out of trouble and not put anybody else into problems because of me. Before I knew it, I feel a pair of large hands, gently rest on my arms and a soft kiss behind my ear.

"What's wrong?" Roman softly asks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." I reply.

"You didn't. I've been in a light sleep anyways and I noticed when you left. Wondered why you weren't coming back right away." He says.

I let out a deep breath and lean against him as his arms wrap around me, making me feel safe again. "I just want him to leave us alone. I don't want to live my life in fear, wondering if someone is going to show up and do something to me. I'm sorry for putting you in this mess."

"It's not on you, love." Roman gently says. "They're just bad people with bad intentions. Do I think about it, though? Yeah, I do. I think about what their next move could be. How much bolder this guy would get. If he would ever dare do anything to hurt you because Lord knows, what I do if he did. I just want us to get through this."

"I got an opportunity to go to Florida for a job." I say, resting my hands on his arms. "I'll get higher pay because of experience, so it won't be the kind of pay that I would get if I was starting out. More benefits, including medical. Opportunities for better promotions. Opportunity to become lead CSI and because of the experience and education I have, it won't take me as long. The list goes on and on with the things that come with it."

"How do you know you'll for certain get what they're offering and that you won't get screwed over?" Roman asks.

"I've had several conversations with them already. Two meetings so far to discuss everything. Ask every question I could possibly think of to see if it's the right opportunity for me." I say.

He stays quiet for a moment. "Is there anything making you hesitate going?"

"It requires me moving to a completely different state, Roman." I answer. "How are we going to handle that if you stay up here in New York?"

"We'll figure something out. I don't know who thought I was letting go that easily, but we'll figure it out." He says.

I let out a soft laugh and he smiles. "I'm being serious, Roman."

"I know, but I am too." He replies. "We deserve a happily ever after, don't we?"

"Yes." I reply without hesitation. My heart has known for a long time now that we're capable of having that. I want a happily ever after, but I don't know if I can take another heartbreak. My heart shattered when my sister passed away and I don't know if I can handle that kind of devastation again or worse. What if I can't recover from it this time around? Something tells me that losing Roman would hurt me so bad that I don't know if I would ever give love another chance. I want my forever to include him but if I take this opportunity, can we possibly make this all work out so that he can be part of my future? But this is Roman that we're talking about. Once he puts his mind to something, he'll make sure he gets it. It's one of the things I love about him. His drive. His determination.

"Stay with me." Roman whispers before kissing my temple, as if knowing that my mind was going to a faraway land.

I lean my head back and rest it on his shoulder and his arms tighten around me. My eyes blur and I quickly try to blink it away. I feel Roman move behind me, and I gasp when he picks up, looking up at him.

"I know you believe that we'll work it out." He softly says as we make our way to his room.

"Because you're one determined man." I reply and he chuckles.

"Yeah, I can be." He says, putting me down on the bed. "But Giselle, I support you no matter what you choose to do. This could be a great opportunity for you and I don't want you to miss out on that because of me. So take it. If you know in your heart that this will be an amazing opportunity for you and that you can benefit from this, then take it. I'll support you every step of the way, Love. You've been really supportive of me the last few months and I want to be just as supportive for you."

"What about everything that's going on here?" I ask. "And what about your career? I can't ask you to give anything up for me."

Roman gives me a kiss when he lays down next to me. "As far as the Haggin thing goes, from what I know, he's getting close to having his day. As for my career, I'll relocate. I'll figure it out so that I can be with you and not have it be us living in two different states. I'll travel back and forth between Florida and New York if I have to. I have you to think about, too and I will haunt you for the rest of your life if I can't have you, so I have to have you."

I laugh and see his eyes light up when I do. I give him a kiss and I look up at him. "A happily ever after."

"Yeah." He softly says, looking at me with a desire in his eyes that I've never seen before. I give him a kiss and sigh happily when I snuggle against his body and underneath the blankets.

About two weeks later, I walk into the kitchen and see Jackson follow me in after spotting Roman already there wearing basketball shorts and his hair out, and wet. He clearly took a shower before I woke up, and take in the scent of the soap he used when he gives me a kiss. I then turn my attention to Jackson who happily wags his tail when I do.

"Happy birthday, Jackson." I softly say, scratching his head. "You're two years old now, how did time pass by so fast? Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, that I bought you home for the first time. You were the tiniest thing, and now it's like you're all grown up."

I pout and hear Roman's deep chuckle. "You're the cutest thing."

I get myself up on the counter and smile when he turns around with a plate of breakfast in his hand. We share a kiss and I take a sip of some juice.

"Are you still taking him to the park?" He asks, standing in between my legs.

"Yeah, and spend some time with him." I reply. "I feel like I've been working so much since we got back from Puerto Rico, that I haven't been giving him as much of my attention as I normally do."

"Meet me for lunch, today?" He asks. "Bring Jackson."

I smile and nod before giving him another kiss. Hearing Jackson bark, Roman's deep chuckle fills the air when Jackson walks up to Roman and barks again.

"You want her all to yourself, is that what it is?" He asks. "We still can't share her?"

I softly giggle when he barks again, before feeling Roman's lips on my forehead. Once we're done with breakfast and we clean up, Roman gets dressed and gives me one last kiss before going to the office to finish up some work, leaving me with Jackson. He makes his way to me when he sees me and lets me put his leash on.

"Ready to go out?" I asked him and smiled when he barked.

It was still early in the morning, and it hadn't been long since the morning rush hour had ended. I just finished up with everything I had to do with my place, as far as letting them know that I was leaving and making the address change in the post office. I guess you could say that I was officially moved in with Roman, but I never imagined that the day I moved in with him, would be because of the reasons that I had. I'm not quite sure exactly how it would have played out, had it not been for that, but I knew that this was something that hadn't crossed my mind. Nonetheless, Roman had been very helpful with everything and welcomed me even more, knowing that he would now have Jackson in his place all the time instead of just whenever I was there. Jackson was growing a stronger relationship with him and getting more comfortable with Roman, even though he sometimes doesn't want to share me, which is fine. He's had me all to himself from the day I bought him home, until Roman came along. Still, it makes me smile to see their relationship grow.

 ** _Roman_**

After finishing up with the last of my work for the day, I started getting my things together when my phone started ringing. Looking at the screen, I see that it's one of the guards that was supposed to be with Giselle today. Thoughts starting racing through my mind and I couldn't help but wonder if she was okay, seeing as they never really called for anything since they started working with her.

"John?" I say in more of a question.

He was in the Army for a total of about 6 years and was a sniper. I've seen the man with a gun, and he's one of the best that I've seen with it. His ability to remain cool, calm and collective also impressed me, and he's smarter than people think he is. At 6 foot 4, one would wonder how someone his size managed to be a sniper and be as successful as he was at it, especially with all the tattoos that he has, but after all the background checks and all the references that he has, along with seeing him in action, I was convinced to hire him.

"Boss, we have a bit of a problem." The man says.

"What do you mean, _we have a bit of a problem_?" I ask, suddenly worried that something really did happen to Giselle.

"Bill Jones." John simply says. "She was just trying to get some groceries. We spotted him and he's trying to make to conversation with Giselle. She's trying to avoid him, but he's becoming more aggressive in trying to get her attention. Jackson isn't with her."

"What are you doing on the phone with me, then?" I asked, quickly getting my things together to leave. "If that man touches her, security is going to have a bigger problem than him."

"Every time we try to get her away, he becomes more aggressive, Boss." He replies. "We're trying to help out without blowing our cover. If Eric and I shoot, we can easily shoot to kill. Thought that was supposed to be the last resort, especially when she's around."

I just saw red and had to stop myself from throwing a punch against the glass. I groaned and rubbed my forehead with my hand before walking out the door and trying to quickly make it downstairs.

"Get her home. NOW." I demanded. "Find a way to do it without her getting hurt and do it quickly, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Boss." He replies and we hang up.

"Please, just get her home." I whisper to myself.

In about 10 minutes, I was walking in through the door to my place and placed my stuff on the table. Unbuttoning the first few buttons of my shirt and pushing my sleeves up, I was greeted by Jackson who barked and so I greeted him. I heard him whine, and I scratched his head.

"Mama is going to be home soon." I said and I started pacing around, looking at my phone to see if there's any new messages or calls coming in.

Jackson barks a few minutes later and happily makes his way to Giselle when she walks in through the door with security behind her. She puts the bags in her hands, down to greet him while the guys picked up the bags to put them in the kitchen. I make a beeline towards her and take her in my arms, squeezing tightly and taking in her scent.

"I'm okay." She whispers in my ear, relief washing over me that she's in one piece.

I dig my face in her neck and my arms wrap around her waist, keeping her close to me. I just wanted to hold her, and as long as I could without letting her go. I place a soft kiss on her neck before pulling back and seeing those blue eyes of hers that I love. Touching her nose with mine, I take another look at her face, as if checking for any indication that she was hurt.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." I finally say to the men who were still standing there, not letting her go.

They each nodded and I hesitantly let Giselle go. I went to the kitchen with her to help her put some things away and asked them what had happened.

"I had gotten a few things ready earlier today, for dinner. But I saw that I needed a few extra things and so I just went to buy so I decided to go later in the day, and whatever extra little thing we needed, I would get it." Giselle says. "After buying what I needed to get, I was going to come back when I saw him. I tried ignoring him but he just kept getting more aggressive. They really did try to help without having to put their hands on him and blowing their covers. But when he made a big scene, that's when they were finally able to get him to leave me alone."

"We know that he's being investigated." Danny says. He's about 6 feet tall and was also in the Army for years, gaining accomplishments and awards for his service. Sandy blonde hair, with green eyes, as well as several tattoos, he was still intimidating. But he's a good man and gets the job done. "But all he's doing in making his case a lot worse for himself, isn't he?"

"He was still bold enough to try to talk to her and get aggressive when he wasn't getting his way." I say. "That sounds like something Tim Haggin would do so it doesn't entirely surprise me. It doesn't make things better for him or for Haggin."

I stand behind Giselle and rest my hands on each side of her, on the counter. I gently place a kiss behind her ear and feel her lean back against me.

"What happens now?" She asks.

"I know you're trying to let the detectives and whomever else take of it, and we'll do our job." Says John. "But in the meantime, what would you like us to do with him? He clearly doesn't have a problem showing her that he's around."

I think for a moment. "Do what we've been doing. On days like today, especially, where he was trying to get her attention and getting aggressive with her, we need to make sure that Giselle is safe. The thing is that we don't know what days he'll try to pull off something like this or if he just wants to be seen and nothing more, so always keep her safe. Always make sure that she's okay and that she makes it back home to me in one piece."

After a few more minutes of talking, the guys left. I went to walk Jackson a few minutes after that and came back to hearing Giselle in the kitchen as she started cooking. I hugged her from behind and breathed in her scent, slowly letting it out.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked.

"You can start with the meat if you'd like." She replies. "It's already seasoned and the sauce is already in the pot."

I do as she says while she deals with the rice and beans. I see the plantains cut up, and knew she was just waiting a little longer to cook them because it never took that long to cook. Giselle gives me a kiss when I turn to face her.

"I love you." She softly says.

"I love you, too." I reply and I see that smile on her face when I do.

I smile and give her a kiss. Lord knows the lengths I would go to, for her to be safe and by my side.


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**

 _ **Roman**_

I'm with Giselle as she's looking at places, in Florida to live in. We're currently in Ft. Lauderdale and we're looking at a few places. We've met up with a realtor that will help us get everything that's being asked for. We're in our last place of the day, and I can see the wheels in Giselle's head, turning as she looks around. It has views of the city, as well as the city's skyline in the distance. It's design, as well as the design of the building is modern, as it was just built last year and technology driven. Stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, with a design that some chefs would love to have from marble and granite counters, two ovens, a stainless steel stove and fridge. Mahogany colored cabinets. Voice activated faucet for the sink. Dishwasher. This is just the kitchen. There's a bedroom on the first floor with a bathroom connected to it and a laundry room nearby.

"There is a second floor, which holds two more bedrooms, including the master room that has a bathroom connected to it." The realtor says as I look around.

She's blonde with green eyes, and petite but still with a nice figure. Her name was Emily and she was a little shorter than Giselle, but to me, she came nowhere near close to Giselle who's currently wearing a blue maxi dress that bought out her blue eyes and showed her naturally tan complexion, that had gotten a bit darker from the sun since the summer had started. Her long, curly hair was up in a bun and away from her face, she still looked beautiful. She always did.

"There's a lot of open space on this floor. Here with the kitchen, you can look out into the dining room and the living room." She continues. "You still have the views from the windows from here, which at night with the skyline. If you're a sunrise type of person, it's a beautiful view as well. You have an amazing space for gatherings and not have to worry about being all cramped up in one place."

"You said this is pet friendly as well, correct?" I asked, thinking about Jackson. Giselle will not leave him behind.

"Yes, pet friendly. Dogs. Cats." She replies. "Like what you see so far?"

"So far, so good." I say. "I like all the space, and the views. The kitchen is great, and she'll love it especially with all the cooking that she does. We have a lot of family out here in Florida, so it's a great space so far to have them over."

Giselle walks over to me and my arm automatically wraps around her waist, pulling her close to me. "Can we see upstairs, too?"

"Of course, let's take a look." Emily says.

The woman takes the lead, and I rest my hand on the small of Giselle's back as we go up the stairs. We make it upstairs and I feel her fingers curl into mine when I fall into step beside her.

"Here's room one of the two rooms that are up here." Says Emily, as we follow her in. "Wood floors, it's a nice open area. You have your windows that have an amazing view. Walk in closet and there's a bathroom in here as well."

"I like the size." Giselle says, as she looks around before walking into the closet. "It's a good size closet, too."

"This could be a good guest room." I say to Giselle when I go in behind her.

She agrees and I know she wants a chance to get some alone time together before going back up to New York so we'll make sure we get that time. Besides, I just enjoy spending time with her. I enjoy seeing her next to me every morning when I wake up. The way her body fits against mine. The way mine ignites with her touch but the same way her touch can calm me. Everything feels right with her and I know that I'm completely ruined for anyone else because I won't have anyone else.

"Roman." Giselle softly says, resting her hands on my chest.

I turn my attention back to her and see those beautiful blue eyes staring up at me. I clearly wasn't paying attention and her full lips formed the cutest little pout when she realized it. I didn't even realized we had left the room and were about to make our way downstairs. My fingers rested behind her neck as my thumb stroked her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking that we really need to spend some time together. Just the two of us." I tell her and she shows me a smile.

"That sounds perfect. I was saying that I really like this place. I've already made up my mind that we should take it. It's in a really good neighborhood. There's a lot of things close by and the beach isn't too far from here. You'll get to see me in a bikini for the summer." She says.

"Or I could see you without anything on. Doesn't that sound better?" I suggest and see a spark in her eyes before she laughs and playfully hits my arm.

I give her a kiss and follow her just like I always will. We take finish with taking a look at the master bedroom, with a large walk-in closet, and a large bathroom that looks almost the size of the room. His and her sinks, granite with tile floors. A tub that I knew Giselle would love to take baths in and a large shower with two waterfall shower heads and some that are built into the wall. A seat was built in and I already had thoughts in my head for what it could be used for, but that's between me and Giselle.

At the end of the tour, we follow Emily back to her office downstairs and take a seat across from her. We talked about what it could cost monthly, what would be included and what the requirements are once more. Giselle and I talked about it for a few minutes and decided that this was the best option from everything we've seen so far and decided that we would take it. We then filled out the applications, put in the down payment and gave some other information that was needed that we were lucky enough have bought with us in case we were to find a place before going back up to New York. The rest of the time, would be spent with her, because we both knew that once we get back to New York, we would both be busy as ever with the process of moving, and with me putting everything into place at the office, before leaving. Though I would have to travel back and forth to New York every now and then to do some work there and make sure everything is still in order. When I made the decision that I was going to go to Florida, and have an office there and have my operations of business there as well, I started thinking about who would be perfect for taking on the responsibilities of some of the day to day operations while I'm in Florida. Though the major decisions would still be mine to make, I needed someone I could trust while I'm gone.

On our way to the car, a woman bumped into Giselle and she quickly locked eyes with the woman who seemed to be a little older than her. I squeezed her side as I stood as close as I could to her. The woman had a similar skin complexion to Giselle, but with straight hair that was put into a long braid. She wore multiple necklaces and multiple bracelets as well as a long dress that seemed to flow.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I need to watch where I'm going." The woman said with an accent, though I couldn't point out from where she may be from. "My, you two look incredible together."

"Do we know you?" Giselle asked, with her tone on edge. "Because I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"No, you haven't, that's certain." The woman said. "But I will tell you this...you are destined for great things, my dear. Your accomplishments so far, have proven that. There is a fire inside of you that will never die. Faith that will never leave you. Passion and love that will always surround you. You have to remember that you cannot give up or lose hope for you will come out stronger than ever before. You have many greats coming your way in the next several months. For years and years to come. Starting with something that will be your little miracle. You don't know yet, but you will, very soon."

I clench my jaw and feel her stiffen at my side. "I'm sorry, but we have to get going."

"No need to apologize, sir." She replies to me. "You're just wanting to protect what's yours. It'll all be worth it, my dear. The struggles you have faced, the heartaches, all of it will be worth it at the end. It has already started with this miracle that is full of love and a bright future. Don't you dare let go of your strength. And you, sir, your love and loyalty to her is never ending. Inspiring. You are meant for each other, in that there is no doubt. You will continue to find ever lasting love and joy with her at your side. With her in your heart. With her. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Watching her walk away, Giselle relaxes, but the look on her face doesn't match. It's not until she asks if we could leave, that she speaks and her mind is turning. But her being as quiet as ever, there's no telling what's going on in her head. It's making her withdrawn and making her want to hide. It wasn't until we were in our hotel room, that I heard her whimper when she thought I was about to leave the room.

"Please don't leave." She whispers. "I don't know who she is, I promise. I don't know what she was talking about. I don't know what she knows or how. Please."

"Hey, baby don't cry." I say as I wipe her tears. "I believe you. I'm not sure what to make of anything she said, though. But I do believe her when she says about finding happiness and love with you. For as long as you'll have me."

"Why are you so good to me?" She asks and the look in her eyes, almost broke me because of the pain in them. "What did I do to ever deserve you?"

I held her against me and wiped some more tears away. "I fell in love with you the first day I met you. It just took me a while to realize that I did. I knew there was something special about you, since the first time I saw you, Giselle. Something about you spoke to me in a way that nobody else has been able to do and I couldn't let that go. The more I got to know you, I couldn't not try, to make you mine. And now I just want to make sure you stay mine. So yeah, I may be very protective of you and one only knows what I would do for you. Since the day we've met, you've been unapologetically you. Giselle, you've never cared that I have money, or about the attention that I get because of it and because of who I am. You just cared that I was always honest. Respectful. Treated you right. Accepted you and everything about you, and continuing to do all of those things. You accepted me for me. Flaws and all. You deserve everything good, Giselle and I want to be the one to give it all to you. Whatever you want, I'll make sure you have it."

"Even if it's just you?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah." I say, kissing her forehead. "All of me. I got you, baby. I always will."


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own WWE, NXT, NXT: U.K. or any of the Superstars from either roster that may appear in this story. Names and locations are used for story purposes only.**

 ** _Giselle_**

I sigh happily, as Roman's lips place kisses all over me and his hands do the same. We were still in bed after spending the early morning making love and I laugh at something he says in my ear, feeling him smile against my neck. We had been back in New York for the last two weeks, while making time to go to Florida, getting things ready for our move. It's nearing the ending of August and we'll should be finally moving at the ending of the month. The two of us have been so busy the last two weeks as well, separately. Roman was able to find a place to operate his business in Florida and was getting everything ready, from interviewing people to fill positions, which knowing him, he wants the best of the best working with him. He's also been getting everything set up, to his liking when it comes to the designs and layout to the place he was able to get, all while trying to get someone to take the reigns in the New York office for when he leaves, while leaving everything ready, tying up whatever he needs to. Though will remain the owner of his company as well as CEO, making major decisions and still playing a heavy hand in the operations, he needs someone he can trust to help him out here while he runs the company from Florida.

"I thought you had to go to your office, today." I say, running my fingers through his hair as we were still tangled with each other and the sheets.

"I do." He says, taking a deep breath. "But this is more important. Besides, I'm the boss. I can do what I want, even if that means going in a bit late because I wanted to make love to my girlfriend, instead of waiting all day until I got home. I will gladly do it again tonight, though."

I smile and kiss his shoulder. "Let's get you to work, okay? You can have me again when you get home, tonight."

Roman chuckles and touches my nose with his. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I say, sharing a kiss with him.

We share a shower and breakfast, before Roman finally leaves. He'll be late, which doesn't always happen, but he didn't mind, and neither did I. Feeling the slight, but delicious ache in my body from last night and this morning, I clean up a bit and spend some time with Jackson before going out to meet Jenny for lunch. Because I finished the last days of work, a few days earlier, I had more time to be able to get things together here, before leaving.

"Hey, girl!" Jenny exclaims, hugging me before letting me go and looking me over once more. "You're glowing. Did you have sex this morning? Or are you pregnant?"

"No babies." I say, with a light laugh. "But maybe I did have sex. But that's not the purpose of wanting to see you. I miss you and I'm about to move to another state."

"I'm going to miss you, too. But now I have a better reason to go out to Florida.." She says. "How is everything going by the way? You've been so busy the last few weeks with everything, we haven't had a chance to catch up much. How's that things going with Haggin?"

"He was caught last night." I tell her and her jaw drops open.

"No way. What happened? Do you know?" She asks.

"From what Roman and I were told and understood, Hagin has been investigated the entire time which is something we already knew." I tell her. "What I didn't know was that he was all of the shit he was being investigated for. I mean, I knew some of the things that he was being looked at, but turns out there's additional charges on him."

Jenny shakes her head. "So he thought he could just get away with everything."

"He had this mentality, and probably still does, where he thinks that he can do and say whatever he wants and get away with it." I say. "And the things that had been going around about him was messing with his reputation and costing him deals that would have continued making him money. Haggin isn't the type of person to live on the cheap side and he wanted more income to meet his needs. But turns out he was trying to get things the wrong way and it's coming around to bite him in the ass. Apparently, there's enough evidence to put him away for a while on all charges. Let's not forget the claims of abuse. The proof that he actually abused at least one woman. The guy that's followed me a few times, he's stopped. Turns out that he was part of Haggin's financial scheme. It was found that he helped Haggin commit fraud on several occasions over the last few months."

"Will he get in trouble for following you?" She asks.

I let a beat pass before responding. "I don't know. The guy never physically harmed me in any way, so there's no proof that he's done any harm. I think if Roman had his way, the guy would pay for that, too."

"I believe that." Jenny says. "That man loves you and would do anything for you. God forbid, someone touches a hair on your head. But I have a feeling that if Roman really wanted to, maybe he has the power to make sure he pays for that without the proof."

I couldn't help but smile. I knew Roman was protective of me, and even though it gets frustrating sometimes when he insists on me having security, I know he has good intentions. But I wouldn't have it any other way because deep down, I wanted that. I wanted someone who would protect me. Care for me. Love me. Shows me that he will stand by my side and remind me that he'll always be there for me. That he always has my back.

"I'm sure that he's capable of a lot of things." I say. "But, I'm just ready to move forward and get past this. This has drained so much of my energy and my time and I have new things to look forward to."

"Like making babies, because you're all glowing." Jenny says with a grin. "And I know it's more than just you being all happy and in love."

I laugh softly. "I'm not pregnant and I don't mind waiting a little longer. But I really am happy, and I really am in love. For the first time in what feels like forever, I'm looking forward to the future and I'm not dreading it. I'm not living in sadness and heartbreak. Its just scary because I don't want it to get messed up. I don't want to wake up one day and have the rug pulled out from under me and have all this taken away from me."

"It won't, sweetheart." My best friend says, with a comforting hug. "This will work out. This is finally your chance at happiness. Full time."


End file.
